The Government of Bangladesh on 3 June 2013 approved the draft law meant
for the development of Hindu religious properties as well as for
protection of these properties from land grab and encroachment. The
Cabinet gave its final approval to the draft law.
The Government
of Bangladesh decided to prepare a list of the Hindu charitable
endowments also known as Devottar property. A management board will also
be constituted once this law will be passed by the Parliament of
Bangladesh.
A Hindu law expert Advocate Rana Dashgupta explained
that since the British era, there is a law meant for protection as well
as management of the Muslim Wakf sites. But no such laws have been
designed for the Hindu sites. Over the past 10 years, thousands of land
pieces of Hindu religious properties were encroached. Therefore, there
have been increasing demands of the Hindus for curtailing the incidents
of grabbing or encroachment of Devottar property.
The draft law
has provisions for making sure that the proper management and
development of these Devottar properties is done. It also has the
provisions for making transfer of the property illegal in case that
property has been donated to Hindu Ashrams, monasteries or temples. The
draft law additionally has provisions for punishment for the
irregularities in management of these properties. Punishments will
include jail and heavy fines in case someone is found misleading the
board with wrongful information of these properties.
Cabinet
Secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan explained that in order to regulate
the management and development of these properties, a central board
would also be constituted.
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