A new organisation was formed yesterday to campaign for necessary reform to the country’s “customary Hindu laws” and formulating relevant new laws.
The central committee of the newly formed Bangladesh Hindu Law Reform Council currently comprises 35 members.
Gradually, the number of members will be increased to 101, said a press release of the council.
The council was formed during a virtual meeting held by individuals belonging to different religious communities with various professional backgrounds. Journalist Ajay Dasgupta chaired the meeting.
Mayna Talukdar, associate professor of Dhaka University’s Sanskrit department, has been made president of the council, while journalist Pulack Ghatack was named as its general secretary, said the release.
Prof Nirmal Kumar Saha of Chattogram University, journalist Subhash Saha and rights activist Rina Roy have been made vice-presidents of the council.
As part of its campaign, the newly formed council will conduct surveys, organise discussions, create mass opinion and stage demonstrations, the release added.
Primarily, the council will campaign for revoking gender-based discrimination from provisions related to Hindu inheritance and custodianship, gender- and caste-based discrimination from adoption clauses. It will also campaign for formulating divorce law, and making marriage registration mandatory.
Of those, campaigning to establish equal rights in inheritance law will be prioritised, the release added.
