Bangladeshi Hindus Attacked, Temples, Houses, Businesses get Targeted
With the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, violence against minorities, especially Hindus, has escalated. Monindra Kumar Nath, senior joint general secretary of Oikya Parishad, expressed the community’s fear of more attacks, stating, “They (Hindus) are crying, saying they are being beaten up, and their houses and businesses are being looted. What is our fault? Is it our fault that we are citizens of the country?” Nath’s poignant question highlights the plight of the Hindu community.
As political tensions rise, the potential return of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami to power raises concerns about further violence and a possible influx of Hindu refugees into India. Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, warned the Mamata Banerjee-led government to prepare for an influx of up to one crore Hindu refugees if the situation remains uncontrolled. BJP leader Sunil Deodhar emphasized the need to prioritize the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh, noting that widespread violence against Hindus has been reported.
The lynching of Hindu Awami League leader Haradhan Roy and his nephew was one of the first incidents of the recent violence. Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, highlighted the gravity of the situation, stating that as a Bengali Hindu and a descendant of refugees, he found the events particularly chilling. Distressing videos shared by activists show a girl pleading for help in Pirojpur district and a temple in Navgraha Bari, Chittagong, being burnt by a violent mob.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported 54 attacks on temples, houses, and establishments of the Hindu community, including the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre. The current attacks on Hindus are the most severe since 2021, when protests erupted following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, leading to numerous attacks on Hindu temples.
Presently, Hindus constitute about 8 percent of Bangladesh’s population, or around 13.1 million people. This is a significant decline from 1951, when Hindus made up 22 percent of the population. According to the Hindu American Foundation, over 11 million Hindus fled Bangladesh due to religious persecution between 1964 and 2013.
An ISKCON temple in Meherpur, in Bangladesh’s Khulna division, was recently vandalized and set on fire. Yudhistir Govinda Das, an ISKCON spokesperson, tweeted that the deities and the temple were burnt, but three devotees managed to escape. In another tragic incident, Hindu councillor Haradhan Roy of the Rangpur City Corporation and another councillor, Kajal Roy, were reportedly lynched.
As protests against a government job quota system have turned into widespread looting and rioting, the minority Hindu community has borne the brunt of the violence. Despite visuals of Muslim clerics guarding Hindu temples, the attacks continue unabated, with houses and businesses of Hindus being attacked across 27 districts. With Sheikh Hasina fleeing to India and an interim government yet to be formed, the situation remains dire for Bangladesh’s Hindu minority.