International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a Hindu organization, fear attacks by Islamic militants after helping rescued minor Hindu boy from madrasa.

Bangladesh government has failed to protect and promote human rights of the minorities of Bangladesh over the years. Rape, gang-rape, kidnap and forceful conversion of members of the ethnic and religious minorities has turned Bangladesh into a land of human rights violation, opposed to the demand of UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The rising Islamic militancy threatens the existence of the minorities in Bangladesh. Many Hindus were forced to leave the country because of communal violence.

The Story of Poresh Chandra Sarker: Background Information

Recently, a minor Hindu boy, 13-year-old Poresh Chandra Sarkar, was traced out of his long disappearance. The boy from poor family took up job as child labour in a restaurant in the capital. Dhaka. Far from his village, there a Muslim man, named Hamdu Mia, came to know about the boy's helpless condition, and with the help of some Maolanas (Muslim clerics) of a madrasa, they illegally converted this immature boy to a Islam from Hinduism and confined him in madrasa, away from all contact with his parents.

After lots of frantic searching for the boy, a clue came from a letter with $58 sent by Poresh to his father on 25.04.2008 through Genera Post Office (GPO) in Dhaka. Based on the clue, the boy's father Krishna Chandra Sarker contacted a Muslim officer at the GPO. The officer informed Krishna Sarker that he knew of his son's whereabouts and that he might get back his son if his family converted to Islam.

Failing to make contact with his beloved son,  Mr. Sarker filed a police report (GD # 1498) with the Paltan Police Station, Dhaka.

The police then called in Hamdu Mia along with the Maulans to the Police Station. The parents, along with the relatives, beg to the police to hand over their son to them until late at night, but they were forced out of the Police Station with getting custody of the boy.

It appears that the police were connected to the extremists. The lawyers, representing the boy's father, suspect that the innocent boy might have undergone  terror-training in a camp somewhere like Bagmara, as the boy shout to his father over a cell-phone that, “I have sacrifice my life to establish the law of Allah in the world, and don’t try to find out me…..” (Allahar Ain Prothistha Korar Jonno ejibon utshorga koriachi Amar Khoj Korio na). He has been trained to keep shut himself under any circumstances.

Later on, the father and the son was brought before a court in Dhaka, chaired by magistrate Ms. Shamima Parvin on 07 April 2009. Unfortunately, ignoring the age of the victim and submission of Mr. Sarker's lawyer, the magistrate ordered that the boy be sent to the Madrasa, instead of handing him over to his parents. But, faced with objection of the lawyers, she sent the boy to Jail Hajat (Safe Custody).

Later on, when the boy was produced before court again on May 5, he was handed over to his parents: the boy was rescued, thanks to his parents frantic efforts.

Poresh is slowly getting better decaling the extremist indoctrination and JIHAD mentality. But the parents, the boy, and ISKCON (who gave the family temporary shelter) are in fear of persecution by the Islamic extremists.

Many national and international organization has demanded to the government to take proper steps to secure the boy and his family and highly condemn the forceful conversion.

Jasada Nandan Acharjee, Sebait and Executor of Swai Bag Ashram said to Asia News that “I do believe in the religious freedom of all people but I highly condemn what was happened with the poor Hindu boy Poresh, the Islamic fascist has brain washed the boy with message of hearted and Jihad and that is also violating the Human Rights”.

He said that many often the children of minority communities, targeted by the Islamic fascists, are indoctrinated with the message of Jihad.

Rupauga Goar Das Bramachary of ISKCON said to Asia News that Poresh was initially saying that he would sacrifice his life for Allah, he was indoctrinated with the idea of JIHAD as the JMB (Jammatul Mujahedin, Bangladesh) people do; now after hearing the religious teaching of Hinduism, he is shedding the extremist teachings received at the madrasa.

He said we do believe in the religious freedom of every soul; when he becomes mature, he can entitled him with any religion, but no one should misguide a minor child with the Islamic JIHAD idea to destroy the boy's life and endanger life of other people through him.

ISKCON's food for life has gave shelter to this boy and to his parents. But the organization said: we have fear about the security; we have responsibility for the whole Hindu society related with us; for Poresh, the whole temple and other Hindu believers living nearby can face communal violence.

A small local Human Rights Organization, Sonatan International Foundation, is helping the family to get the legal aid.

The joint-secretary Pinaki said to Asia News that "we have observed that some of the Islamic fascist are guarding outside of ISCKON temple, we are not sure how they came to know about the presence of the family in this temple, only we know about the presence of the Poresh and his family’s presence in this ISCKON temple”.

Prof. Nikhil Chandra Pal said to Asia News that "The situation is very fearful. At any time, anything bad can happen to us and to the boy and his parents; we are all targeted by the Islamic extremists”.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a US Congressional panel, has recently dropped Bangladesh from its Watch List of countries that violate  rights of minorities to religious freedom. Bangladesh was in the list from 2005 to 2008.

USCRIF removed Bangladesh from the Watch List in its May 1, 2009 report, urging the new Awami League administration to strengthen protections for all Bangladeshis to enjoy the right to freedom of religion or belief, and undertake efforts to improve conditions for minority religious communities.

The commission hoped that the government of Bangladesh would investigate and prosecute, to the fullest extent of the law, the perpetrators of violent acts against members of the minority religious communities, women, and non-governmental organizations, committed in the past.

The fate of minorities, nonetheless, remains unchanged and their religious freedom is far from adequate.