Shades of Hindu Persecution: Bangladesh

Unfortunately today, cases of Bollywood drug scandals have become center stage matters followed by a never-ending game of turbulent politics as opportunist vultures and journalists become Twitter warriors to “fight discrimination”, once again real issues are overlooked and the agony of persecuted Hindus fails to find a place in human rights advocacy and modern days activism. 

While any talk of Hinduphobia is laughed off, the targeted killings of the Hindu minorities have once again gained momentum in Bangladesh.

 To understand their plight we don’t even need to look back in history as to how the Hindu population dropped to 8%. The ongoing violence is evidence enough to give one insight into the dance of death which haunts the minorities. The menace unleashed from the thirteenth of October must agitate each one of us who believes in the right to life, quite on the contrary the witch hunt against Hindus has failed to be brought to mainstream attention as human rights organizations and activists dismiss Hindu persecution. 

The vibrant festival of Durga puja ended with violence and vandalism, with stones pelted at temples, idols desecrated, and at least four dead. On the thirteenth of October at least nine Durga Puja Pandals were attacked by a radical majority mob of over hundreds in Comilla Bangladesh, one could only hope that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s promise for justice would put an end to the hostile environment but the violence continues. 

It would be a gross understatement to say that a lot transpired in the following two days in Bangladesh. 

In the next two days i.e the 14th and 15th of October unimaginable atrocities were unleashed, the account of incidents in these two days is nothing short of a chilling nightmare. Fifteen puja mandaps in Banskhali, Chittagong were attacked, followed by an attack on Puja Mandap in Gazipur. The destruction further continued with two more mandal statues and pandals being vandalized in kamalganj, Moulvibazar. Additionally, Ramgati of Lakshmipur saw another attack on Puja. Seven temples of three unions were vandalized and set on fire in Ulipur, Kurigram.

Bandarban’s Lama Hari temple was attacked and plundered. In Cox’s Bazar’s and Pekua, more than two hundred Hindu families faced targeted attacks. Eighteen bombs were recovered from Rupsa, Khulna.

Puja mandaps were also vandalised in Jakiganj and Hajiganj. The attacks didn’t stop at just vandalism, it was followed by a series of brutal rapes and horrific murder. A Mother, daughter, sister’s daughter of Hajiganj were raped, the minor ten-year-old girl died of excessive bleeding. Additionally, there are accounts of the murder of one in Hajiganj, Chandpur, three priests in Ram Thakur’s Ashram, Chowmuhini, and one in Ramu Sarbajanin Temple. 

In Noakhali ISKCON temple was attacked which left two saints dead, along with which another mandap pujari was also killed. Islamist mobs attacked Hindu homes and set them ablaze. 

The hostile atmosphere of Noakhali gives a Déjà vu to the Noakhali genocide of 1946, it is a fresh cycle of the same old violence model, the only difference is the declined Hindu population in 2021. 12.6 million is the current Hindu population, there will be none left in 30 years.

The General Secretary of Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Okiya Parishad Rana Dasgupta has said “ it is unfortunate that a majority of the grassroots leaders of the ruling Awami league are also seen joining them in conducting the attacks”. The violence in Pirganj of Rangpur has escalated on the 17th of October as the world watches Hindus in Bangladesh burn. The condition in Pirganj Upazila of Rangpur district has become extremely dire as Islamist mob set ablaze and an entire Hindu village. 

The barbarism towards Hindus in Bangladesh sees no end. The agonizing truth is the fact that despite the innumerable atrocities, chilling massacres, and countless rapes a bill which was introduced to give persecuted minorities who had escaped genocides in the past decades and came to India as refugees hope of normal life by speeding up the procedure citizenship was protested against. This only further emphasizes the dismissive and selective approach towards human rights violations and human rights activism.

As each one chooses silence, this continuous ethnocide is facilitated. This dance of death will not end till it has served its goal and taken the country from low minority to no minority.