The violence in Bangladesh after the fall of Sheikh Hasina has been unrelenting, especially against the Hindu minority of the Islamic nation. There have been several instances reported of Hindus coming under attack by Islamist mobs. Hindu houses have been burnt, some have been lynched and the unabated violence has engulfed several Hindu Temples in the country.
OpIndia spoke to a few Bangladeshi Hindus who told us that the dire situation is only getting worse for Hindus. Speaking to OpIndia, the Hindus in Bangladesh said that Jamaat-e-Islami members have been making a list of Hindu businesses and Hindu houses since the fall of Sheikh Hasina.
“They have made a list of the Hindu houses and Hindu businesses. There are some local Muslims who are trying the help us, but there are thousands trying to kill us”, the man said.
The Hindus who spoke to OpIndia said that the violence has been unabated throughout the night with Hindus hiding in fear.
It is pertinent to note that the World Hindu Federation, Bangladesh chapter has also released a list of incidents of violence where they have listen at least 3 abductions of Hindu women.
The Hindus, on the condition of anonymity due to security concerns also said that many are unable to move to safer locations because the Jamaat-e-Islami groups and others Islamists are roaming the streets with guns, making it impossible for them to move to safer locations.
Further, the mobile network and internet is being shut off intermittently so it is difficult for them to communicate with one another.
“It seems like they are doing everything they can to ensure Hindus don’t come together as a community to protect one another”. he said.
“The violence has not stopped. But because of these constraints, only a fraction of the instances are coming out in the open”, he added.
With over 2,200 people, mostly those linked to Jamaat-e-Islami being given bail after the fall of Sheikh Hasina, the situation is feared to get worse for the Hindu minority of Bangladesh.
“In some areas, the violence is now slowing down. But it also seems like a calm before the storm. The violence is unabated in rural areas even now”, he said.
The fact that Jamaat-e-Islami was making a list of Hindu houses and businesses was also corroborated in a report by BBC.
Speaking to a local Hindu, the BBC reported that the Hindu man’s mother, who runs a local school, received a phone call from her business partner, saying that people were making lists of properties to attack. The partner then said, “Your name is not on the list. But please be careful.”
On 5th August, it came to light that Jihadis attacked Hindus’ houses, shops and temples in Bangladesh in the guise of protests against the Sheikh Hasina government. Despite the resignation by Hasina from the Prime Minister’s post, the protests continued and so did the attack on Hindus. Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar has also expressed concerns over attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. Earlier, OpIndia reported about the list of several attacks released by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and attacks reported by The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper. Several videos and photos of attacks on Hindus surfaced on social media.
