Hindu Women’s Rights to Inheritance: A Case Study on Bogura Bangladesh

Nowadays a voice is raised throughout the world for women empowerment and equality of all people irrespective of gender. The women in Bangladesh, especially those who belong to Hindu religion, face immense difficulty in enjoying their right to inheritance. The object of this paper is to ascertain the position of Hindu women as regards their right to Inheritance. A case study has been done in Koil village under Bogura district of Bangladesh. Hindu women face various difficulties in their way of life since traditional values are deeply rooted in their life. Although the constitution of Bangladesh grants equal rights to men and women irrespective of religion, Hindu women cannot enjoy their rights. In this globalizing world, the condition of Hindu women remains unchanged because of their primitive outlook. How much aware Hindu women are regarding their rights, how they consider their rights, how they understand their traditional systems and how and why they do or do not claim for their rights are main points emphasized by this paper. By considering Hindu women's own opinion, this paper attempts to understand the rights to inheritance of Hindu women. At the end, some suggestions have been made to ensure better rights of Hindu women in Bangladesh in respect of property such as active role of Hindu community, awareness of Hindu women and enactment of law for ensuring right to property for Hindu women in Bangladesh.