Basanta Kumar Dass, Ganendra Nath Bhattacharjee, Munindra Nath Bhattacharjee, Haran Chandra Ghosh Choudhury, Monoranjan Dhar

“ All manner of crimes were being committed in the metropolis under the nose of the Provincial Government, before the eyes of the police, who were in some places found abetting the same. For all practical purposes, administration seemed to have collapsed. Murder, loot, arson, assaults and attacks on men and women were committed on an extensive scale in broad daylight. The Government must have had sufficient warning as to the coming events. From all indications the aforesaid procession and meeting were seeming the signal for the disturbances to follow. ”

“ In the wake of this helpless chaotic state of things in rural areas, crimes of theft, assault, intimidations and offences against women are still occurring in large number.
The manner in which the minority problem and their grievances have been so long tackled by the East Bengal Government does not encourage us to believe that we can have any protection and justice from them. They have all along shown a tendency of minimising things, always taking a complacent view of the situation. ”

“ The perverse spirits that actuated the isolated incidents for far and that lie behind the slow process of devitalizing and demoralising the minority community in various ways now seem congealed into an organised plan for giving a final and fatal blow to the minority community as will be clearly evident particularly from the nature of the latest happenings with their flaming trails of sufferings for them yet. ”

“ We feel that this Government of East Bengal have not shown any indication of having such an enlightened democratic outlook as to look upon us from proper perspective. We do very keenly feel that we have entered a critical juncture of our life. ”

“ So, we humbly suggest that the state should be declared to be "secular democratic" and further that the minorities should be treated as equal citizens with equal rights and obligations as the members of the majority community. ”

“ Incidents and persecution of the minorities in isolated manner are still taking place here and there. Particularly the passengers going out of East Bengal are being harassed in various ways. Illegal exactions and extortions of money, unnecessary and obstructive detentions on the way followed by other kinds of molestation of passengers both male and female are still rampant. Difficulties of journey by railway or steamer are manifold. Fresh and artificial obstructions are being created in different points of transit. ”

“ Wherever there was resistance the Muslim mob attacked the village and the entire village was looted and burnt and persons killed and women abducted.
In the first part of February 1950 several Muslim leaders of Sylhet town were openly preaching the communal acts of violence and lawlessness were prevailing in West Bengal and Karimganj sub-division of the Cachar district and as a result of that the Muslims of Sylhet must take revenge upon the Hindus. ”

“ It is not possible for us to fully deal with the details of all the incidents here. However, we are giving below brief accounts of the incidents and casualties so far as we have been able to gather amidst so many difficulties of free movements and contact. These are by no means exhaustive. These may bear an eloquent testimony to the state of things here and to how miserably the Government have failed to protect the minorities. Confidence of the minorities in the ability and willingness of the Government to protect them is completely shaken. ”

“ INCIDENTS AND HARASSMENTS STILL CONTINUING
Before the situation could settle down to normalcy reports of fresh outbreak of lawlessness in isolated way and in trains are pouring in... unauthorised and humiliating searches and harassments of persons and belongings of the travellers in railway and steamer stations and on the way persist everywhere. Gold ornaments and other valuables are seized and taken away. The ladies are subjected to personal searches by males, customs, police, Ansars and other non-official elements in almost all places in an objectionable manner. ”

“ In Jalapur area all the Hindu houses in village Senagram, Ajmatpur and Daspara were looted. Deities and idols were destroyed. At Lalbazar all Hindu shops have been looted and all the Hindu houses in neighbouring village have been burnt. All the Hindu shops at Rakhalganj Bazar were looted. Most of the Hindu houses in villages Jhapa and Samalsasan were looted. All the Hindu houses of the Steamer Workshop at Fenchuganj have been burnt. ”

“ For fostering confidence in the minds of the minority community and to bring back their sense of security, intensive propaganda throughout the province should be organised with the help of responsible leaders and persons of good will and sympathy. ”

“ KILLINGS IN RAILWAYS AND STEAMERS
Besides these killings in town and villages of different districts a very large number of Hindu passengers travelling by train, steamer and buses during this period were killed. Most of such killings took place at Talshahar and Bhairab Bazar stations where trains were stopped and armed goondas got into the compartments and butchered the Hindu passengers. At Bhairab Bazar the trains were stopped on the bridge to allow the murderers to throw the dead and injured into the river below. At other places the dead and the injured into the river below. ”

“ We cannot accept the position of hostages directly or indirectly. We have always demanded and still demand, as a matter of fundamentals, same rights and protections as are due to any loyal law-abiding and peaceful citizen of the state irrespective of what may happen elsewhere. We have our position in this respect clear in a statement made on the floor of the Assembly on 7-2-50 wherein inter alia we demanded en enquiry by a committee of the House headed by the Hon'ble Premier into the incidents at Nachole and Bagerhat. ”

“ The way in which the occurrences took shape with unmistakable political manipulation and bearings and the manner in which the administrative authorities generally handled the situation have naturally given rise to an almost irremovable apprehension in the minds of the most miserably plighted minorities in general that something equally or more terrible may happen every moment. ”

“ Enquiries should be undertaken to find out the railway officials on the train and at different stations, who are alleged to have taken parts in murder and stabbing of passengers and looting of properties from trains. ”

“ From our bitter yet long experience we can make bold to say that this outlook has inevitably created prejudices against the minorities and has its extensive and intensive and beneful reaction in all spheres of our public life, political, economic and administrative. ”

“ Accommodation in and guarding of railway compartments reserved for minorities is insufficient. Similar is the case with ferry steamer at different points.
Economic boycott has also started. Hindus are not allowed to sell their movables or other articles or properties. Houses vacant or otherwise, are being forcibly occupied in rural areas also.
Generally persons leaving the province are not finding any safe passage yet. 13.3.50, daughter-in-law of Sri Umes Dev of Mymensingh town was robbed of her trunk and sewing machine at Pradyotnagar railway station on her way to Mymensingh. ”

“ Any activity on political or economic spheres on our part on truly democratic line has become practically impossible. The whole situation constitutes a challenge to our manhood in the context of our democratic freedom. ”

“ In August 1949, some villages under Bianibazar and Barlekha P.S. of Sylhet district were raided by large band of Muslim villagers in company with the police and Ansars. Houses were looted, broken and burnt. Hindu villagers were murdered and assaulted in large number. Women were assaulted and raped even by policemen. ”

“ We pointed out that on the one hand communal fanaticism was gathering force much to the detriment of the minority community and on the other the tone of the General administration was slackening and deteriorating and the machinery of law and order was not asserting itself against the growth of lawless elements. ”

“ As soon as the meeting dispersed, there was a simultaneous flareup in all parts of the city resulting in arson and loot of Hindu houses and shops and killings. Hindu passengers, who arrived at Dacca by steamer and trains, were killed at the stations. Hindu travelling by train and buses were stabbed, murdered and thrown out. Out of hundreds of Hindu shops in the city of Dacca, about 90% were looted and many burnt. ”

“ A distorted version as to our stand was catered to the people with view to prejudice them against us, taking advantage of our forced silence. Generally speaking too, press campaign, through comments and presentation of news prejudicial to the minorities assumed a furious character which contributed most towards worsening the situation and inviting crisis and chaos. ”

“ Extortion of money from the passengers by threats and other coercive method takes place. Snatching away of articles is often reported. Unnecessary oppression by prolonging searches is being indulged in so that the travellers may fail to pursue the normal journey, while their belongings and thrown pell-mell. ”

“ Vigilance committee composed of persons of influence and integrity in different areas should be set up. Strict control of the press and radio should be ensured so that writings tending to foster communal hatred and sitting class against class may be altogether stopped. ”

“ Steps should be taken to find out persons missing while travelling by trains, steamers and other means of transport or otherwise untraced in the wake of troubles and also to find out the wayfarers on foot still missing. ”

“ Nothing has been done to relieve the distress of the people nor to punish the wrongdoers. Then followed the incidents in Bhandaria in the District of Barisal, where similar persecution of the minorities was enacted in the whole village and the neighbouring localities apparently under the instruction of the district authorities. ”

“ Vast masses of people have been rendered destitute and homeless within a few hours and they are now either moving about from door to door to eke out a miserable existence or are so panic-stricken that they are trying to leave this country for places of safety. ”