Kashinagar - "The cave"
-By Professor Ajoy K. Roy
E-mail: avijit@citechco.net
[Author's note: Dear Readers, Here is a yet another horror story of repression on teenagers by a group of lunatics as well as terrorists. The story takes us back to darkest days of our barbarous ages. Where are we heading for ?]
This is a sad story of torture on women in caves prepared under earth. A group of about twenty miscreants of the locality called Kashinagar excavated the cave on the barrage of a river along its bank. A reign of terror has been unleashed by juvenile group of terrorists in Kashinagar union under Chauddagram upazila in the district of Comilla. This reminds me the dreadful days of Pakistani occupation period in 1971. The Pakistani barbarians in uniform were entrenched along the border areas. The trenches were well fortified- they look like foxholes from outside. We the freedom lovers had to escape their vigilant eyes in an attempt to enter our beloved motherland for gorilla operation, then under their forcible occupation. The barbarous Pakistanis unleashed a reign of terror within the locality - by extortion of money food and our women. They used to bring our sisters, our daughters, and even our mothers in the trench for their beastly satisfaction. We have not forgotten those days. But those were foreigners, members of the occupation army. The hated us , we hated them. We could understand their lust for terrorism among our civil population, lust for sexual offence against our women and physical torture on our youths. We were enemy in their eye , and so they were in our eyes.
But I do not understand why our juvenile young men would follow the Pakistani path and unleash same type atrocities on their own sisters and daughters in a similar style. ? What is wrong with us ? Why our youths are turning on their co-religionists because they do not subscribe to their political opinions? Why our youths fell on some of their own country men as the follow different religion ? What destiny waits for this nation ?, this country our beloved Bangladseh ? Where are our noble ideals- equality, secularism, and tolerance for pluralism, humanism and democracy ?
Where this Kashinagar is ?
A union in a remote rural Bangladesh under Chouddagram upazila, and there lies a peaceful village Called Alinagar. A small river flows along the union- a hilly river originating in the adjacent Indian State Tripura.
You can take a Chittagong bound or Noakhali bound Bus from Dhaka. After crossing Viswa Road Junction by passing Comilla town you get down at a market place Mian Bazar, about 28 miles from Comilla town. While approaching Mian Bazar you are sure to see small stream of river - this is the river Kankri. From Mian Bazar a small metal road branches of from the Dhaka -Chittagong highway towards west. You may take a local bus that would take directly to Kashinagar union, about 8-10 miles from Mian Bazar. The bus drive is quite pleasant and runs over a route almost parallel to the barrage along the bank of the small river "Kankri", I mentioned above. As you drive along the riverbank you may listen the murmuring sounds of the flowing stream of the hilly river. You will not miss hundreds of bamboo tight together are flowing down the stream , and these are coming from the hill Tipera, as I am told.
Here is the story
A group of juvenile terrorists of the village mentioned above under the union of Kashinagar within Chauddagram upazila in the district of Comilla surpassed even the stories we normally find in cinema & thrillers. They have excavated cave(s) on the barrage along the bank of a local river called 'Kankra'. They bring in forcibly young and minor girls and commit sexual and physical torture on their persons and carry on antisocial activities including taking drugs. They use these caves for their plan of antisocial activities like theft, extortion, dacoity etc...
As we move along the village, and talking to the villagers... a horror story begin to unfold itself.
The victims and the sufferers did not disclose their notorious activities for the fear of further repression and social apprehension. But the people of the locality couldn't take any more when the terrorists after raping a schoolgirl at the cave again attempted to take her to the cave second time after only a few days. The miscreants forcibly entered the home of her maternal grand father causing damage to the house, ransacking and looting and physical torture in an attempt to take her forcibly. This time however the people of the locality unitedly resisted them and the story of their past activities and the 'story inside the caves' brought to light.
The Cave: reminds me the horrible days of Pakistani Occupation in 1971
The place is a village "Alipore" under Kasinagar union of Chauddagram upazila, Comilla. The latest cave is located on the barrage along the bank of the river 'Kankra' . There are only two narrow entrance of the cave through which only the slim boys can pass through. Inside the cave there are separate two places where 7-8 persons can sit comfortably. Yesterday, 5th May hundreds of people of the nearby place gathered there to look for this extraordinary cave, the centre of terrorism.
It is learnt from the victim's family and other people of the locality that on 23rd April night she, a student of class vii, still in her teens, came out of her house in response to
her call of nature. At this very moment two well known notorious miscreants of the locality named Shahin and Manir caught hold of her and took her to the cave blindfolded. She was gang raped there repeatedly. Next day she was left unconscious in a paddy field blindfolded with her hands and legs tied up. Oh God, are we not living in the age of barbarian civilization, the villagers lamented ......... . Her family later discovered her. But as stated above, the family kept mum for the fear of the social disgrace and fear of the terrorists. They even did not inform the police at the Thana. Her parents sent her to her maternal uncle's home not far from their home.
Undaunted by the event, two goondas went to her maternal uncle's home on 29th April to take her forcibly to the cave once more. I wonder, how did they get so much courage unless protected, sheltered and nourished by a powerful quarter. Not only the son, father of the terrorist Shahin, is equally responsible for notorious activities in the village and the union. Led by this gentleman Mr. Shamsul Alam, a member of the managing committee of Kashinagar High School, a team of 30-40 terrorists attacked the house of the maternal uncle. They beat her grandfather (nana) and Khala (mother's sister) severely, looted valuables, and ransacked the house. Then they proceeded to the house of the victim's parents and injured her mother with a lethal iron weapon (Dao) followed by looting once again. The mother is now under medical treatment at the Chauddagram Sadar hospital.
Two cases were filed in this matter on 1st and 2nd May. But, as usual, police so far have arrested no one, although they did visit the place twice. The accused and the known terrorists and their family members are now hiding for the fear of police.
Fig1. The entrance of a tunnel that leads to the cave inside
As the miscreants are hiding now, the villagers have come out openly to tell of their atrocious activities of various natures and cave related horror stories. The terrorist group is in fact consists of members of a single family and related to each other. They are kith and kin. It is learnt from the local people that one late Idris Member of the village Alipore had 7 (seven) sons- each one has 5-6 young and juvenile sons. Monir and Shahin are members of this family. These young boys of the large family formed themselves a terrorist-group committing to and indulging in all sorts of anti social activities that include dacoity, extortion, snatching of money, abduction, raping , physical torture .. . In fact the entire village is under seize. It is learnt that so far the group has committed sexual violence and raping on 20-25 girls of the locality of various ages including child- , young and teenagers. But no body dares to speak against the group led by said Shamsul Alam. Those villagers courageously disclosed the names of the culprits requesting us not to publish the names of the villagers whom we interviewed. The villagers further informed that Shahin (19) and his accomplice Manir were arrested quite a few times on the charge of smuggling and making fake notes of BD currency.
Visit: Prof. Ajoy K. Roy's world - "The Oppressed Minorities". ( http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/minority/index.htm )
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Cross posting Courtesy : Mukto-mona ( http://www.mukto-mona.com/ )