On August 5th, Bangladesh descended into chaos after a successful coup ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, forcing her to flee the country as an enraged mob closed in on her residence. In the aftermath, Islamists took advantage of the unrest to carry out violent attacks on the Hindu community. Since then, the minority Hindus in Bangladesh have faced daily persecution, resulting in numerous deaths, rapes, and the destruction of Hindu homes, shops and temples.
If this wasn’t enough, Islamists in Bangladesh are now harassing Hindu intellectuals and professionals and forcing them to resign from their jobs. Some are also being pressured to leave Bangladesh solely because of their religious identity.
In the last few days, many such incidents have surfaced in different districts of Bangladesh. According to sources in Bangladesh as many as 60 teachers/professors/govt officials, who are Hindus, have been forced to resign so far.
On August 20, the Vice President and spokesperson of ISKCON, Radharamn Das posted on X informing how a Hindu teacher named Gautam Chandra Pal became a victim of this systematic targeting by Islamists in Bangladesh. Gautam Chandra Pal taught Chemistry at the Azimpur Government College and was felicitated as the best Chemistry teacher. He has now been forced to resign by the Muslim students in the college.
Hundreds of HINDU government officials are being threatened & forced to resign in #Bangladesh.
— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) August 20, 2024
Latest victim is Gautam Chandra Pal from Azimpur Government College.
He was awarded the best Chemistry Teacher in #Bangladesh & now Muslim students forced him to resign.… pic.twitter.com/cS2rhlfh8L
On August 19, a Hindu lady named Sonali Rani Das was allegedly forced to resign. She was an Assistant Professor at Holi Red Crescent Nursing College in Dhaka.
Hindu lady Sonali Rani Das was allegedly forced to resign on 19/08/2024. She was an Assistant Professor of Holi Red Crescent Nursing College of #Dhaka.#SaveBangladesiHindus #HinduphobiaInBangladesh@UNHumanRights @UN @StateIRF @amnestysasia @StateDeptSpox pic.twitter.com/4XblOOsgA8
— Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@VoiceofHindu71) August 20, 2024
On August 19, OpIndia spoke to a lady teacher – a Hindu from Bangladesh, who wept inconsolably as she narrated her harrowing tale of how her Muslim students physically locked her up and forced her to resign from her post. “My students did this. I have taught so many students. So many still keep in touch. I can’t believe my students assaulted me. They won’t let us live”, the 55-year-old lamented as she recalled how she had to jump from her office window to escape and save her life.
The same students that she raised mistreated her, calling her names like “Kafir” and “Malaun,” she recounted.
Bangladesh update 🚨
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) August 19, 2024
I just spoke to a lady teacher – a Hindu from Bangladesh. Her Muslim students physically locked her up and forced her – physically forced her – to resign from her post. She sobbed to me on call – “my students did this. I have taught so many students. So…
On the 18th of August, students with radical mindsets gheraoed a Hindu teacher, Khuku Rani Biswas. Khuku Rani Biswas was in charge of Jessore Nursing Institute. They kept her gheraoed in her office for five hours. They demanded her resignation.
Khuku Rani Biswas, in-charge of Jessore Nursing Institute, was forced to resign after being blocked for 5 hours due to protests by Hijabi students.#HinduHatredInBangladesh #HindusAreNotSafeInBangladesh #HinduphobiaInBangladesh #SaveBangladeshiHindus @UNHumanRights @hrw pic.twitter.com/o92gmFLc0d
— Voice Of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@hindu8789) August 19, 2024
In the same vein, on August 18, X user @VladAdiReturns listed a few other Hindu academics and teachers from various colleges, universities, and schools who have been the victims of Islamists’ relentless persecution in Bangladesh.
Mihir Ranjan Halder, the Vice Chancellor of the Khulna Engineering and Technology University was forced to resign on August 12. Similarly, Ratan Kumar Majumdar, the principal of the Puranbazar Degree College in Chandpur was also forced to resign, read the post.
The X user also highlighted how Muslim students of the Setabganj Government College are also demanding the resignation of Principal Subodh Chandra Roy and his office worker Nirmal Chandra Roy in the Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.
The daughter of famous singer Subir Nandi was harassed and told to “go to Bharat”.
1) The daughter of famous singer Subir Nandi was harassed & told to "go to Bharat".
— Vladimir Adityanath (@VladAdiReturns) August 18, 2024
2) Vice Chancellor Soumitra Sekhar of the Kazi Nazrul Islam University of Moymonsingha district was forced to resign on frivolous grounds on 14.08.
3) Vice Chancellor of the Khulna Engineering pic.twitter.com/zJibutdvzX
On August 14, some Muslim students forced a Hindu professor Soumitra Sekhar to resign. Soumitra Sekhar was the Vice Chancellor of Kazi Nazrul Islam University in the Moymonsingha district of Bangladesh.
On 14/08/2024, Muslim students forced Soumitra Sekhar to resign.
— Voice Of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@hindu8789) August 18, 2024
Soumitra Sekhar was the Vice Chancellor of ‘Kazi Najrul Islam University’.#SaveBangladeshiHindus #AllEyesOnBangladeshiHindus #AntiHinduBangladesh pic.twitter.com/VzCjBGz69Y
Another post by X user @Chellaney read how Bangladesh’s interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, has removed 363 municipal mayors, 60 district councils (Zila Parishad) and 493 upazila chairmen from their respective positions.
A military-chosen administration with no constitutional legitimacy or mandate fires all elected officials across Bangladesh in a single swoop. Instead of democratization, the process of deep centralization of power has begun, in keeping with the military's traditional preference. pic.twitter.com/PXMM4xmAb6
— Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) August 19, 2024
OpIndia had previously reported how Islamists had infiltrated student protests and carried out over 205 attacks on Hindu homes, businesses and temples.
