Immediately after Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country, scenes of thousands of violent protesters storming the compound of her residence, stealing her utensils, sarees, undergarments and flashing them as war booty and subsequently scaling the iconic parliament building brought us a glimpse of the ominous times that lies ahead for Bangladesh, another nation where democracy was snuffed out by rampaging Islamists, only to give way for a military rule.
General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the army chief of Bangladesh, announced on Monday that an interim government would assume control. He assured that the military would “step back” and commit to initiating an investigation into the fatal crackdown on student protesters.
“There is a crisis in the country. I have met Opposition leaders, and we have decided to form an interim government to run this country. I take all responsibility and promise to protect your life and property. Your demands will be fulfilled. Please support us and stop the violence. If you work with us, we can move towards a proper solution. We cannot achieve anything through violence,” he said.
Anarchy and lawlessness reign supreme
On Monday, August 5, 2024, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled as ongoing nationwide protests turned violent. Hundreds of protesters stormed her official residence, waving flags and raising slogans against her, shortly after she fled, stealing utensils, sarees, and other belongings from her residence.
SHOCKING🚨: Radicals looted bra, fish, saree, blouse, even dustbins from #Banglade's PM Sheikh Hasina's residence.
— DW Samachar (@dwsamachar) August 5, 2024
One rioter even wore a saree and They have looted utensils from her kitchen.#BangladeshViolence #SheikhHasina #SheikhMujiburRahman #viral… pic.twitter.com/qIa3VAuxk7
After resigning as Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh and arrived at the Hindon Air Base near Delhi. She was expected to fly to London, reports said.
Due to the unrest in Bangladesh, the BSF issued a high alert along the India-Bangladesh border. As a result, both passenger and freight train services heading towards the border areas have been suspended.
Islamic fundamentalists set to become stronger with Sheikh Hasina’s exit
Nevertheless, Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as Prime Minister of Bangladesh has created a power vacuum that Islamist groups could exploit to gain control. Throughout her tenure, Hasina, a potent symbol of secularism in a country plagued with Islamists, dealt Islamic fundamentalists with an iron fist, including those from the main opposition party BNP, which has connections to the terror group Al Qaeda. While this strategy temporarily consolidated her authority, the students’ protests, however, provided an outlet for these extremist groups to harness the growing resentment to dislodge the Sheikh Hasina government and empower themselves, leading to a more significant presence in Bangladesh’s political landscape.
After Hasina’s resignation amid widespread protests, Islamist groups, which played a key role in the demonstrations, are now in a position to gain greater political influence. Forming an interim government in this unstable environment could allow these factions to shape policies and advance their agenda, which would inevitably pivot around religious bigotry and persecution of minorities, which has only accelerated following the exit of Sheikh Hasina.
In the wake of Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, hundreds of protesters pulled down the bust of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, in Dhaka. The visuals symbolised what lies ahead for Bangladesh as Islamists and fundamentalists seek to wrest control of the country’s many institutions and hit the last nail in the coffin of its relatively new democratic journey.
Bangabandhu paying the price for creating #Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/Aag37zXP5d
— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) August 5, 2024
Moreover, Hasina’s departure has created a power vacuum that could heighten instability as various political forces, including Islamist groups, compete for control. This situation mirrors a regional trend where Islamist movements exploit political crises to increase their influence, often resulting in substantial changes in national policies and governance structures.
BNP and its alliance with Jihadis
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has faced criticism for its religious bigotry and ties with Islamist groups. Historically, the BNP has had a complicated relationship with religion. Founded on Bangladeshi nationalism principles, which included a moderate religious stance, its alliances with Islamist parties like Jamaat-e-Islami have raised concerns, with its members openly subscribing to the puritanical version of Islam and its innate antagonism for non-believers, especially Hindus or idol-worshippers.
From 2001 to 2006, the BNP enacted policies favouring Islamist groups and conservative madrassahs, which critics argue increased the influence of Islamist factions in politics, leading to greater religious intolerance and fundamentalism. The BNP’s coalition with Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist groups strengthened these factions’ political power, often resulting in violence against religious minorities, especially the Hindu community, perceived as supporting rival parties like the Awami League.
Additionally, the BNP’s political stance has shifted over time towards more right-wing and conservative positions, moving away from its earlier centrist and liberal positions. This shift has been marked by rhetoric and actions perceived as catering to Islamist sentiments, further alienating religious and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh. The shift would inevitably lead to forced demographic change as witnessed in Pakistan, where Hindus,
Targeted attacks against Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh
As the turmoil engulfs Bangladesh, Hindus residing in the country were once again subjected to targeted persecution as the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council released a list of attacks that took place on Hindu temples, houses and establishments that belonged to the Hindu community in the country.
The attacks happened amidst the political turmoil taking place in Bangladesh. According to X handle Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus, these attacks happened within five hours. Notably, the actual number of attacks could be much higher than reported in the list below. The document has listed 54 attacks.
These incidents happened within 5 hours. The genocide is still going on.
— Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@VoiceofHindu71) August 5, 2024
It could be more than that.#AllEyesOnBangladeshiHindus pic.twitter.com/voPqyV4i2a
According to the list, in Sherpur, the house of the president of the Sribardi Upazila Youth Unity Council was attacked, vandalised and looted.
In Khulna, the houses of Shyamal Kumar Das and Swajan Kumar Das in Highgate village of Rupsa Thana area, houses of Biman Bihari Amit, president of the Khulna District Unity Council and Animesh Sarkar Rinku, president of the Youth Unity Council in Tootpara of Khulna city, house of Jayanta Gain in Amtali Banisanta, Dacope, and houses of the minority community in Darpara, Koyra were attacked, vandalised and looted.
At the time of Bangladesh’s creation in 1971, pro-Pakistani militias and armed forces killed thousands of Hindus on the pretext of their alleged support for the secession of East Pakistan. Now, over fifty-three years later, as the country faces another churn, with its secular and democratic ethos emphatically shunned, the threat of targeted persecution of Hindus and other minorities has only heightened as Islamists and their cohorts in the BNP seek to undermine secular laws governing the country in their pursuit of establishing a nation ruled by Sharia, where minorities are treated as second-class citizens, a fair game for the rampaging mobs of Islamist bloodhounds, determined to turn it into a homogenous society.
