Atrocities on Dalits Since The Partition of Bengal

Partition of Bengal on communal basis in the wake of Independence of India brought complete disaster in the life of Dalits, particularly of those who belonged to Namasudra community. Which by far outweighed the misery of the displaced Hindus, who belonged to higher castes. The plight of Dalits in India, who were forced to flee to save their lives, leaving their hearth and home, is no less than those who continued to stay in East Pakistan, risking their lives and properties, and also those, who once migrated but went back getting assurance from both the governments, India and Pakistan, of security and dignity a citizen of a civilized democratic country can expect. the betrayal and brutality that started before Partition still continues in different forms, both in India and in Bangladesh, erstwhile East Pakistan, to secure Political mileage to parties in power, which often go to the extent of social discrimination and physical elimination, till today. All these eventualities of the Partition should have raised Human Rights question in a big way, at the national and international levels. But unfortunately, they have not yet done. In an endeavour to make out a case for Human Rights Commission and Human Rights activists, light has been thrown in this monograph on some relevant aspects of this issue, like, the upper caste Hindus belonged to rich, literate and land owning class and the Dalits and Muslims were mainly poor cultivators and illiterate, who were more attached to land for their livelihood than the upper caste Hindus; the fraternity of low caste Hindus and Muslims, who were equally hated by the upper caste Hindus, used to be interfered with by the land owning class inciting kazia in their own interest; the opinion of the people was tactfully avoided in the decision of partition; Nehru-Liaquat Ali Pact was a hoax; U-turn of the left Front government and the carnage of Marichjhapi; connivance and apathy of the Central and State government to the detriment of the refugees; indifference of the governments and the intelligentsia towards ethnic cleansing of the Hindus in Bangladesh, who belong largely to low caste Hindu community, etc. Another question that is raised by the analysis of all the stories of apathy and atrocity is whether this fate of the victims is because they are mostly Namasudras.