Hindus in Bangladesh cry for justice, say community facing repeated threats to leave country

Dhaka: The Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajot (BJHM), a grand national alliance of 23 religious organisations in the country, said on Tuesday that as many as 278 Hindu families have faced massive violence and vandalism in 48 districts of the nation since Sheikh Hasina resigned as the Prime Minister on August 5.

Releasing detailed data on the horrendous acts of violence committed against the Hindu community in the country between August 5 and August 12, BJHM leaders said they continue to live in fear despite having lived in the country for generations.

Calling itself a “politically neutral” Hindu rights body, the alliance also put forward a list of seven demands, urging the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to act fast during times of uncertainty.

“The incidents of vandalism, looting, arson, land grabbing, and threats to leave the country have been repeatedly inflicted on the Hindu community due to the shifting political landscape. This is not just an attack on individuals but an assault on the Hindu religion,” Palash Kanti Dey, spokesperson and executive secretary of the alliance, was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune during a press conference organised at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Dey said the community leaders have conveyed their concerns to the interim government’s Home Affairs Advisor Brigadier General (retd.) M. Sakhawat Hossain, who has assured that the issue will be raised in the next Cabinet meeting.

The seven demands submitted by the alliance include the conduct of a thorough judicial inquiry into the “worst communal attacks” on the Hindu community across the country; creation of a Minority Protection Act and Commission; restoration and repair of damaged temples and houses of the Hindu community at public expense; a speedy trial confirming punishment of the guilty with the entire investigation report to be made public; a detailed report on minority persecution in the country from 2000 till date; a three-day holiday during the upcoming Durga Puja festival; and, the establishment of a Minority Ministry.

“Whenever there is a change in government, Hindus are the first to be attacked. Although there were fewer incidents in the past, they have increased recently. We want to live in this country with security. We were born here, and we have rights in this country,” said BJHM President Prabhas Chandra Roy. (IANS)

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