Over 200 attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh in fallout of Sheikh Hasina govt, BNP leader says ‘some taking advantage’

Bangladesh witnessed the ousting of Sheikh Hasina amid widespread violence, followed by the establishment of an interim government, culminating in the forced resignations of the country’s chief justice and governor on Saturday. However, during this turbulent period, reports of multiple attacks on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh surfaced.

According to a Reuters report, Hindus, who represent about 8 per cent of Bangladesh’s 170 million people, have historically supported Sheikh Hasina’s predominantly secular Awami League party rather than the opposition bloc, which includes a hardline Islamist party.

After the fallout of the Sheikh Hasina government, at least two Hindu organizations in Bangladesh and members of minority community have faced at least 205 attacks across 52 districts, The Hindu reported.

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Earlier, on Friday, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad presented the data on such attacks Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who had just been sworn in as the head of the interim government, according to The Daily Star newspaper.

“We seek protection because our lives are in a disastrous state. We are staying up at night, guarding our homes and temples. I have never seen anything like this in my life. We demand that the government restore communal harmony in the country,” Nirmal Rosario, one of the three presidents of the unity council, said.

As reported by The Hindu, Kajal Devnath, a praesidium member of the unity council, said, “Those involved in attacking minorities must be brought to justice. If a minority individual is attacked for political reasons, it is still unacceptable. Anyone who commits a crime should be judged, but burning homes and looting will not lead to justice.”

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the general secretary of the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), told NDTV that the attacks on Hindus in the country were driven by individuals seeking to exploit the current situation. He emphasized that these incidents were not part of any “systematic agenda.”

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The BNP leader also expressed confidence that the Bangladesh army would refrain from interfering in the political process moving forward. He further asserted that no extremist elements were involved in the protests, NDTV reported.

Meanwhile, Michael Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center, said that the country (Bangladesh) will not make “meaningful progress” until the attacks stop and the law and order situation is addressed, ANI reported.

Kugelman told ANI, “A few stories are playing out in Bangladesh that deserve more scrutiny, investigation…the issue of attacks and threats on minorities, particularly the minority Hindu communities. We know the documented cases of members of the Hindu society being attacked…On Friday there was a large protest in Dhaka in which people were calling for more protection of the Hindu community.”

Furthermore, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, urging him to assist the Bangladeshi government in ending the violence against Hindus.

Krishnamoorthi requested Blinken engage with Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, on August 8 to end violence and bring perpetrators to justice.

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In a letter to Blinken, Krishnamoorthi said, “I am writing to you regarding the fluid situation in Bangladesh and the rise of coordinated anti-Hindu violence in the wake of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. Now that Muhammad Yunus is sworn in as Prime Minister for the interim government, it is of utmost urgency that the United States engage with his government for the purposes of both bringing the violence to an end and the perpetrators to justice.

Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government on August 8, three days after Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country amid widespread unrest.

On Thursday, seventeen members of the interim government took their oaths in Dhaka. Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus, 84, was appointed as the chief advisor, a role equivalent to that of a Prime Minister, by President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

(With inputs from agencies)