'Hindu women were crying, houses and shops were set on fire. There was fear on every face. The Hindus of Bangladesh have been living under the shadow of this fear for decades, but now this panic is reaching even those areas where it did not happen earlier.
This is to say of Nirmal Chatterjee, a social activist working for the rights of Hindus in Bangladesh, who has recently returned after visiting the Daghail village of Nadia district, which was hit by violence. Here Hindus were targeted after an alleged controversial Facebook post two weeks ago.
Nirmal Chatterjee says – The houses and shops of Hindus were looted. Women's jewelry was also snatched. This is not the first or only incident of attack on Hindus in Bangladesh. In March this year, a mob attacked a Hindu temple. Later, the administration called it related to the property dispute.
Major attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh
In October 2021, there were attacks on Hindus in many districts. At least two people were killed and dozens were injured in these attacks during Durga Puja. Muslim mobs attacked Durga pandals in many cities. These attacks also took place after allegedly being accused of insulting the Quran.
In the year 2016, there was a major attack on Hindus in Nasirnagar. 19 temples were demolished and over 300 Hindu houses were targeted. More than a hundred people were injured in this attack. Earlier in 2012, there were major attacks targeting minority Buddhists in the Ramu sub-district of Cox's Bazar district. These attacks also happened only after a controversial Facebook post.
In 2013, there were similar planned attacks on Hindus, and hundreds of houses were targeted. According to In O Salish Kendra, an organization working for human rights and legal rights in Bangladesh, between 2013 and 2022, 1642 houses of Hindus and 456 shops and business establishments were attacked in Bangladesh.
During this period 1807 temples, Buddhist viharas, and statues were attacked or tampered with. According to the data prepared based on reports, at least 13 people were killed and 1037 were injured in communal attacks during this period.
Stating the latest attacks in Nadal, the Ain O Salish Center said, "This is not a new incident. These incidents keep happening again and again, as neither there is an independent investigation into such attacks nor the investigation is completed in time.
Nirmal Chatterjee says, 'It is not a single incident, but many incidents have happened. After the attacks in Nadile, police were deployed and arrests were assured. The officials also met the families of the victims. The government is claiming that we are doing a lot, but it is not enough.
According to Chatterjee, now different aspects of violence targeting Hindus are also coming to the fore. He says, “Earlier there were attacks on minority Hindus before and after elections. However, this was not happening during the tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the last ten years. Now the communal elements have become quite active again in recent times. They have again started targeting Hindus.
After the Nadal violence, Hindus demonstrated on a large scale in Bangladesh. Not only this, but people from the civil society also participated in these demonstrations and demanded protection and protection of the interests of minority Hindus.
Nirmal Chatterjee says, 'One good thing that has happened in recent times is that Bangladesh's civil society is also protesting against such attacks, but we will still say that enough to stop such violent incidents Steps are not being taken.
'The existence of Hindus is really in danger
Rana Das Gupta, Bangladesh's human rights activist and national general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Ekta Parishad, an NGO working to protect the interests of minorities, believes that the existence of Hindus in Bangladesh is in danger.
Rana Dasgupta says, 'The existence of Hindus in Bangladesh is in danger because their houses, temples, business places are under constant attack. Their young girls are being kidnapped. Hindus are scared. The challenge before them is to save their land and homes. Their temples and women are in danger.
In 2018, the ruling Awami League had promised in its manifesto that if voted to power again, it would bring in the Minorities Protection Act, the Prevention of Discrimination Act, and the National Commission for Minorities. The party had also promised to bring The Wasted Property Return Act (Return of Enemy Property Act) under which the property of Hindus taken by the government was to be returned.
Rana Dasgupta says, 'The next elections will be held in Bangladesh after a year and a half, but the government has not yet fulfilled its previous election promise.'
'No one to listen to minorities'
Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh in recent years have been fueled by controversy over social media posts or alleged insults to a religious book, but human rights activists believe the country's active fundamentalists are systematically targeting Hindus.
Rana Das Gupta says, 'It is only fundamentalist groups and parties that are involved in the attacks. These are the same forces that supported Pakistan in 1971. They have now entered the ruling Awami League as well.
Explaining the reason for the incidents of violence not stopping, he says, 'Now after the attacks, FIRs have started in the police stations, but the criminals are not punished. Cases remain pending in court. Failure to punish the attackers is the biggest reason for such attacks to happen. There is no fear of law among the attackers.
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