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Misreporting minority persecution cases

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury - 10/11/2009

For those who work in defending rights of religious minorities, it is extremely important to cross check each and every information they share with local and international community while any case of minority persecution take place.



Advocate Rabindra Ghosh, president, Bangladesh Minority Watch [BDMW] circulated an email message titled ‘A Hindu NGO Employee beaten to Death by unrully Student of Dhaka University’, wrote, “Swapan Mondal [40] a Hindu N.G.O. [Non Government Organization] employee was beaten to death at Suhrawardy Udyan [Ramna Kali Temple] by the students of Dhaka University after they branded him to be an extortionist. On last Saturday a group of students of Dhaka University caught him and beaten him mercilessly. On last Sunday morning Swapan Mondal died due to torture at the Dhaka Medical College during treatment. His dead body was sent to Dhaka Medical College morgue for post mortem.



It is learnt from police and hospital sources that Swapan Mondal was serving as an employee of an NGO namely “Free Christian Church of Bangladesh” [FCCB] situated at the capital of Indira Road. On last Saturday he along with his colleagues went to enjoy holidays at TSC [Teachers Students Center] Campus of Dhaka University.



At about 10 in the evening there was a hot altercation between a student of Mohasin Hall on a flimsy ground. On that ground the student of Mohasin Hall called some other 15-20 residential students of said Hall over phone and they jointly tortured Swapan Mondal and brought him before TSC Auditorium, branded him as extortionist, started beating mercilessly.



Police getting information rescued the victim with precarious condition and admitted him at Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment. But Sawpan expired in the next morning on 14th September, 2009 during medical treatment.”



Now, here are something that was found on investigation conducted by people working for my newspaper [Weekly Blitz]. According to their findings, Swapan Mondal was not a Hindu but was a Christian [a converted Christian] working for the local missionary.



In the report, Advocate Rabindra Ghosh stated that Swapan Mondal went to TSC campus of Dhaka University “along with his colleagues went to enjoy holidays”.



Here are two questions, where were those ‘colleagues’ when Swadhan Mondal was beaten? Secondly, why they should have gone to university campus for ‘enjoying holidays”?

While reporting any such important issues, everyone needs to remember one point very clearly that, no self-made stories or information should be incorporated with the original one. In such case of mixing, the entire case may ultimately get confused. It is important to remember that misreporting minority repression issue would put the reported matter into confusion. Honest and unbiased reporting here is expremely important and crusial as well.