As citizens, everyone should enjoy equal rights, ensuring equal treatment. Unfortunately, the people of Bangladesh have not received equal treatment from international human rights organizations. Democracy, freedom of speech, and human rights must be upheld universally. Numerous incidents, including killings, vandalism, persecution of religious minorities, and harassment of women, have occurred during Bangladesh’s transition, yet they have not received attention from international human rights organizations.
These organizations must remain neutral and act accordingly. Several murder cases have been filed against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her cabinet colleagues, and party leaders. Despite this, many human rights organizations have remained silent about the widespread human rights violations in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina, who was forced to resign as Prime Minister on August 5, 2024, and sent to India, is facing demands for extradition from dishonest politicians.
Notably, Sheikh Hasina’s removal from power was not solely due to the student-led anti-quota movement, which political analysts believe was manipulated by powerful foreign entities. Following Sheikh Hasina’s removal from power, there were reports of looting, vandalism, arson, and forcible occupation of properties belonging to Hindus and other communities, as well as the destruction of temples, churches, and other religious sites. These actions were carried out by communal and reactionary forces opposing the birth of Bangladesh in 1971.
The relationship between neighboring India and Bangladesh has been tense for over a month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted. Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India has caused anger in Bangladesh, while a recent interview with Bangladesh interim government chief Dr. Muhammad Yunus has surprised India. During her tenure, Sheikh Hasina’s leadership benefited India’s security, as she suppressed anti-India rebel groups operating from Bangladesh and settled some border disputes.
However, her current stay in India and the uncertainty of its duration have complicated efforts to maintain strong ties between the two countries. In a recent interview, Dr. Yunus urged India to prevent Sheikh Hasina from making political statements during her stay in Delhi. He emphasized that if India wants to keep Sheikh Hasina until Bangladesh requests her return, the condition is that she remains silent. Sheikh Hasina’s statement after visiting Delhi has caused outrage in Bangladesh, prompting calls for her to be brought to justice and returned for killings during anti-government protests in July and August.
Dr. Yunus called for both countries to work together to advance their bilateral relations and indicated that the current state of their relationship is at a low level. While India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not officially commented on the matter, officials are reportedly disappointed. An Indian official, speaking anonymously, stated that India is monitoring the situation in Bangladesh and paying close attention to the speeches and statements made by the government and dignitaries from Dhaka. Dr. Yunus described these statements as “Megaphone diplomacy,” and former Indian diplomats expressed surprise at the matter.
Dr. Yunus is attempting to address controversial bilateral issues through the media. Veena Sikri, India’s former high commissioner in Dhaka, stated that India has shown willingness to engage in dialogue with the interim government of Bangladesh to discuss all areas of concern between the two countries. She emphasized that these issues must be addressed peacefully and on what basis. It is unclear what Dr. Yunus meant when he described the state of bilateral relations as being at a ‘low level.’ However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh rejected this criticism.
Touhid Hossain, the interim government’s foreign affairs advisor, mentioned that Indian leaders do not communicate through the media. He also clarified that if asked about specific issues, Dr. Yunus can express his opinion, and criticism is acceptable. A few weeks ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dr. Yunus spoke on the telephone, but no ministerial meeting occurred. There seems to be a widespread consensus in India that Sheikh Hasina can stay there if she is not allowed to enter any other country.
However, Mohammad Tajul Islam, the newly appointed chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Bangladesh, mentioned that steps are being taken to bring her back to Bangladesh to face trial for her alleged involvement in the killings during the protests. Since Sheikh Hasina has been accused of genocide in Bangladesh, efforts will be made to bring her back to Bangladesh for a legal trial. However, experts say Bangladesh is unlikely to extradite Sheikh Hasina even if a formal request is made. Riva Ganguli Das, who once served as the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, mentioned that Sheikh Hasina is staying in India as a guest. She emphasized that if we do not show basic courtesy to our long-time friends, why would anyone take us seriously as friends in the future?
Dr. Yunus also criticized Delhi for not contacting Bangladesh’s opposition parties in the interview. He mentioned that an explanation has been put forward labeling everyone as Islamist, stating that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is Islamist and that everyone else is Islamist. They will turn the country into Afghanistan. Dr. Yunus noted that Bangladesh is safe only in the hands of Sheikh Hasina. However, Indian analysts disagree. Veena Sikri said, “I’m afraid I must disagree with this statement. Our High Commissioners in Bangladesh spoke to all political parties without giving any labels.”
Relations between Dhaka and Delhi deteriorated during the BNP-led coalition government from 2001 to 2006. At that time, Delhi accused Dhaka of harboring insurgents from India’s northeast, an allegation that BNP denied. Many in Bangladesh believed that India should contact the BNP, as the party was confident of winning whenever the elections were held. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir mentioned that no Indian official has met with them since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5. On the contrary, the ambassadors of China and European countries are having regular meetings with BNP in Dhaka.
Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, there was a lack of security, leading to an increase in attacks on religious minorities by suspected Islamists. India has expressed concern several times over reports of attacks on Hindus. In the past few weeks, there have been incidents of vandalism at various local shrines. Sunni Muslims in Bangladesh are the majority, and hardliners consider shrines and tombs to be ‘un-Islamic’.
Tamanna Akhtar, wife of Ali Khawaja Ali Pagla Pir’s shrine caretaker in Sirajganj district, mentioned, “A few days ago, a group of people vandalized my father-in-law’s tomb and warned us not to perform any un-Islamic ceremony.” AFM Khalid Hossain, advisor to the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Bangladesh, stated that action will be taken against those who target religious places. However, experts express concerns that if Islamic hardliners manage to re-establish a foothold in Bangladesh, it will set off alarm bells for Delhi.
In the past few weeks, a convicted Islamist militant has been released, and nine suspected radicals escaped from jail last month, although four of them were later arrested. Jasim Uddin Rahmani, chief of the banned outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team, was released from prison last month on bail. Sheikh Hasina’s government designated the group as a terrorist organization in 2016. In 2015, he was sentenced to five years in prison for murdering an atheist blogger. He remained behind bars after his jail term was over due to other pending cases. Former diplomat Riva Ganguly Das called it a “serious issue” and mentioned that several militants had been released in the last month, with India being aware of some of them.
After a change in the country’s political scenario on 5 August this year, there were specific incidents where the minority community, including Hindus, came under attack. The social media and the Indian mainstream media ran with misinformation, exaggerating figures of death relating to these incidents. Prothom Alo, a famous Bangla daily, has published several reports regarding the attacks on minorities based on various incidents. Still, it was necessary to conduct a countrywide investigation to get the whole picture. Information regarding the attacks on minorities was collected from 5 to 20 August, rechecked, analyzed, and a report was prepared.
However, discussions and debates on this issue continue at home and abroad. Against this backdrop, delayed, the readers are presented with an account of the recent attacks on minorities in various districts. Members of the Bangladeshi Hindu community held banners. They chanted slogans against violence targeting the country’s minorities during a protest in Dhaka on 9 August 2024, days after a student-led uprising ended the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina. Some businesses and homes owned by Hindus were attacked following Hasina’s ousting, and the group is seen by some in Muslim-majority Bangladesh as having been close to Sheikh Hasina.
After the fall of the Awami League government, there have been several incidents of attacks on minority communities all over the country, particularly on the Hindu community. In many areas, houses, business establishments, and places of worship have come under attack, being damaged extensively and even set on fire in certain instances. The attacks began on the afternoon of 5 August, followed by more attacks on the first two days. Prothom Alo correspondents carried out investigations from 5 to 20 August and found evidence of at least 1,068 houses and business establishments of the minority community being damaged. Additionally, 22 houses of worship came under attack.
Most of the attacks occurred in the country’s southwestern division, Khulna. At least 295 homes and business establishments of the minority community were destroyed in the division. Also, 219 houses and business establishments were damaged in Rangpur, 183 in Mymensingh, 155 in Rajshahi, 79 in Dhaka, 68 in Barishal, 45 in Chattogram, and 25 in Sylhet. In some places, the damage to buildings was extensive.
After the fall of the government, reports emerged of attacks that resulted in the deaths of two members of the minority community. One of the victims was Mrinal Kanti Chatterjee, a retired school teacher who was fatally attacked on the night of 5 August in the village Chhoto Paikpara of Rakhalgachhi Union in Bagerhat Sadar. His wife and daughter were also injured during the incident. The other victim, Swapan Kumar Biswas of Paikgachha, Khulna, was beaten, tortured, and killed while on his way home on 8 August. According to the Bangladesh Hindu Christian Bouddha Oikya Parishad, over 200 attacks took place in more than 50 districts.
The organization is gathering further details and plans to present a comprehensive report at a press conference soon. Rana Dasgupta, the general secretary of the Hindu Christian Bouddha Oikya Parishad, emphasized that the impact of these attacks goes beyond mere numbers. He highlighted that when one house is attacked, it spreads fear to others. He expressed concerns about the recurring targeting of the minority community during times of political unrest, indicating a pattern of deliberate persecution. This is not the first instance of such widespread attacks. Previously, during the rule of the Awami League government in 2021, the minority community faced significant violence during Durga Puja. The Bangladesh Hindu Christian Bouddha Oikya Parishad (Unity Council) reported that between 13 October and 1 November that year, 117 temples and puja pavilions in 27 districts were damaged, and 301 business establishments and houses were looted and destroyed. Additionally, nine people were killed. The ultimate goal is to create a unified Bangladesh devoid of internal divisions. It’s essential to foster an environment where everyone can coexist peacefully, regardless of their background.
“According to the findings of investigations carried out by Prothom Alo’s correspondents all over the country (64 districts and 67 upazilas), attacks on the minority community took place in 49 districts. They saw 546 damaged houses and business establishments, accounting for 51 percent of the damaged structures. Information on the rest was gathered from various sources. The attacks were extensive in several districts, while in some districts, they were comparatively less. There are 49 districts where at least one such incident occurred. Attacks were also launched on the Christian and Ahmadiyya Muslim communities and members of the ethnic minority.
According to the Bangladesh Christian Association, there were attacks on the Church of Bangladesh in Naogaon, the Evangelica Holiness Church in Dinajpur, the collection booth of the Christian Cooperative Credit Union in Madanpur of Narayanganj, and three Christian houses in Gournadi of Barishal, one in Khulna city, one in Halwaghat of Mymensingh, and one in Parbatipur. A statue of Mother Mary was damaged in the Nijpara Mission in Thakurgaon, and threats and attempts were made to attack many missionary schools and colleges.
Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D’Cruze of the Roman Catholic Church in Dhaka told Prothom Alo, “There have been attacks on the minority community in various places of the country. That is unfortunate. We want to live in this country peacefully regardless of caste and creed. But there are attacks on the minorities at various times. However, the attackers are not identified, and they are not punished.” He said those involved in the attacks must be identified, tried, and punished to stop such attacks.
According to the Kapaeeng Foundation, a human rights organization for the ethnic minority community, there have been at least ten attacks on the ethnic minority communities in Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj, and Thakurgaon. Two of the attacks reportedly damaged houses, though no figures were mentioned. Two incidents involved land grabbing and stealing fish from ponds. Kapaeeng Foundation also said that the statues of Sidhu Murmu and Kanhu Murmu, two historical characters of the Santal rebellion against the British, were damaged. The Ahmadiyya community has reported that 137 houses and six Ahmadiyya mosques were destroyed in attacks in Panchagarh, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Nilphamari, and Madartek in Dhaka, Sherpur, and Mymensingh.”
The Public Relations Office of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamat, Ahmad Tabsir Chowdhury, told Prothom Alo, “We are not involved in politics or affiliated with any party. I believe the recent attack was carried out because law enforcement was inactive then.” He also mentioned that their community had been targeted during the rules of BNP and Awami League as well. Members of the minority community have stated that most of the attacks occurred during ‘victory processions’ after changes in the government. The attackers included local extremists and supporters of BNP, Jamaat, and some religious groups. On August 6, initiatives were taken by BNP, Jamaat, students, and social organizations to protect the houses, businesses, and places of worship of the minority community.
Political parties issued statements condemning the attacks. Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, the interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on August 8. On August 10, members of the minority community gathered in Dhaka, Chattogram, and other districts to protest. They demanded legal action regarding the attacks within three days and presented an eight-point demand. They also demonstrated the following day in Dhaka and other districts. On August 13, Dr. Yunus met with 40 representatives of various minority community organizations, including the Hindu Christian Bouddha Oikya Parishad. On the same day, he inspected the Dhakeswari Mandir and desired to build a unified Bangladesh where differences do not exist.
The majority of the attacks took place in the Khulna division. Prothom Alo’s findings revealed that attacks on the minority community occurred in all ten districts of the division. The highest number of houses and business establishments were damaged in the Khulna district (74) followed by Jashore, Satkhira, and Magura. Before the attacks in Khulna, many members of the Hindu community had already left their homes. Sujit Roy of Kayra stated that they were warned about the attack on the evening of August 5. As they were moving to a different house, they heard the sound of destruction. Their furniture and even the roof of their home were destroyed. On the night of August 5, an attack was launched on Bejpara in the Jashore town where at least 200 Hindu families reside. It was reported that around 20 to 25 individuals armed with cleavers and sticks initiated the attack, damaging and looting houses.
Lakshmi Rani Paul lives with her parents on the ground floor of Paresh Basu’s house on Banani Road in Bejpara. Her sewing machine is her only source of income. Witnesses describe how the attackers broke open the front door of the house and stole her sewing machine, stove, gas cylinder, and jewelry belonging to her brother’s newlywed bride from the wardrobe. When I visited on August 6th, no one was home. Lakshmi Basu, the wife of the homeowner Paresh Basu, told Prothom Alo that after the incident, Lakshmi Rani Pal and her family left. The second-largest attack occurred in the Rangpur division, particularly in the Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat, and Panchagarh districts where minority communities were most targeted.
In different areas of Thakurgaon district, 78 houses and businesses belonging to the minority were vandalized and set on fire. The Prothom Alo correspondent visited Thakurgaon Sadar and Baliadangi upazilas from August 19th to 21st and spoke to the affected people there. Kamal Barman from the village Lauthuti in the Shukanpukuri union of the Sadar upazila recounted how strangers launched a sudden attack with sticks and crude firearms, looting whatever they found in the houses. The third-highest damage was caused to houses, business establishments, and places of worship in the Mymensingh division, particularly in the Netrakona and Mymensingh districts.
There were comparatively fewer attacks in Sherpur and Jamalpur. At least 19 shops belonging to the Hindu community, including Gayanath Mishtanna Bhandar, Durga Mishtanna Bhandar, and Uttara Hotel, were looted and vandalized in Netrakona town. A visit on August 23rd showed that the shops had resumed business. Local BNP leaders helped recover the stolen refrigerators, furniture, and other goods earlier. But, to build a new Bangladesh, equal rights must be ensured for all, without differentiation based on religious or ethnic identity.
Uttara Hotel owner Debshankar Roy told Prothom Alo that they reopened their shops two days later after being reassured that there would be no further attacks. In the Rajshahi division, the fourth-highest number of attacks were reported on houses and business establishments, particularly in Rajshahi, Bogura, and Naogaon districts. Members of the ethnic community in Rajshahi were also targeted. On August 5th, an attack was launched on the Pyarpur village of Mohanpur upazila in the district. During a visit on August 17th, the Prothom Alo correspondent saw that many houses had damaged roofs, three houses had been set on fire, and a temple had been vandalized. Surji Rani, a village resident, told Prothom Alo that she, her husband, and their daughter had jumped into the river to save themselves.
The attacks in Dhaka, Chattogram, Barishal, and Sylhet were relatively limited. They occurred in Narsingdi, Faridpur, Rajbari, and Tangail of the Dhaka division; Barguna and Pirojpur of the Barishal division; Chattogram, Noakhali, and Khagrachhari of the Chattogram division; and Maulvibazar and Sylhet of the Sylhet division. On August 5th, a temple of Dhanuka Monsha Bari in Shariatpur of Dhaka district was vandalized. The attack lasted for two to three hours. Later, army personnel arrived at the scene, and the attackers fled. Gobinda Chakrabarty, the general secretary of the Dhanuka Monsha Bari temple, told Prothom Alo on August 6th, “We could not leave our homes for fear during the attack. The attackers besieged our homes from all sides, but the army personnel saved us.” Members of the minority community say that even in areas where there were no attacks, people were living in fear, which has not subsided.
Speaking about the attacks on minority communities, Dhaka University’s Emeritus Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury told Prothom Alo that in Bangladesh, the strong tend to persecute the weak and attempt to grab their property if given the chance. However, there has been a positive trend this time. Many have come forward to protect minorities, and this positive trend must be encouraged. He said, “For a new Bangladesh to be built, equal rights must be ensured for everyone, without differentiation based on religious or ethnic identity.”
Members of the Hindu community blocked the Shahbag intersection of the capital with eight demands, including stopping the torture of minorities and holding the guilty accountable on September 13th. The program was held under the Sanatani Adhikar Andolan banner and comprised various Hindu community organizations. They besieged Shahbagh on a Friday afternoon, causing traffic in Shahbagh and its surrounding areas to halt. Meanwhile, the eight-point demands include a fast-track trial of attacks on minorities after the fall of the government through a fast-track tribunal, compensation and rehabilitation of victims of communal violence, enactment of a minority protection law, formation of a ministry for minority affairs, promotion of Hindu religious welfare trusts to Hindu foundations, Buddhist Foundations, Christian Religious Welfare Trusts to Foundations, enacting laws for the restitution and conservation of devotional property, proper implementation of rules on the return of entrusted property, making Durga Puja a holiday for five days.
Pradeep Kanti Dey, coordinator of Hindu Jagran Manch, stated that the interim government must implement the clauses. If not, strict programs will be organized in the future. The people of Bangladesh expect equal treatment for any incidents in Bangladesh from the International Human Rights Organization and unbiased action from the Organization at home and abroad.
Views expressed are personal
