With the resignation of the Sheikh Hasina government, reports of attacks on Hindus started coming from Bangladesh. Most of the districts of the country are in the grip of violence. Along with attacks on people, their property is also being looted or set on fire. At the time of independence, the population of Hindus in Bangladesh was 22 percent, which has now come down to around 8 percent. Not only Hindus, the condition of other minorities living here is also the same.
What is the population of
According to Bangladesh census, there are 15 crore Muslims in the country. Out of these, there are 1.31 crore Hindus. After this, the second largest population is of 10 lakh Buddhists. There are about 5 lakh Christians and 2 lakh followers of other religions. Apart from these, there are Sikhs, Jews and atheists in very small numbers.
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Right to change religion
This is one of those few Muslim countries where conversion from one religion to another is allowed. Even Muslims can adopt another religion. Article 41 of the Constitution allows this. However, this exemption was limited to paperwork only. Most of the conversions were from non-Muslims to Muslims.
According to Harvard International Review, before independence, the Hindu population in East Bengal was 30 percent, which decreased to 22 percent after becoming a part of Pakistan. But this percentage also fell rapidly when Pakistan was divided into Bangladesh. Hindus faced a double attack from the fundamentalist Muslims of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Apart from massacres, a large number of people were also forced to convert to other religions.
Hindu population is decreasing rapidly
Within three years of the formation of Bangladesh, the population reduced to about 13.5%. Hindu American Foundation said in a report that between 1964 and 2013, 11.3 million Hindus fled Bangladesh to different countries including India. Apart from this, about 2.25 lakh Hindus are leaving the country every year.
This was about Hindus, but there are many other minority communities in this Bengali-speaking country. However, there is less mention of them. So are they safer than Hindus?
What is the condition of the second largest minority?
Buddhists are the third largest minority community in this country. It is believed that during the Buddha’s time, many Hindus in Chittagong, East Bengal, adopted Buddhism. Even now, more than 65 percent of the people are settled around Chittagong and Dhaka. Rakhine, Chakma and Barua people follow this religion, while 35 percent Bengalis are Buddhists.
When did violence happen against Buddhists?
– In 1962, when India was a part of Pakistan, there was a massacre of Buddhists and Hindus, which is known as the Rajshahi massacre. During this time, 3 thousand non-Muslims were killed in Rajshahi district alone.
– In September 2012, 22 Buddhist temples were burnt down in an attack on Buddhists and their religious places in Cox’s Bazar.
– More than 300 Chamka and Marma Buddhists were killed in the Koukhali massacre in March 1980.
– Nearly 400 Buddhists were killed in the Barkal massacre in May 1984.
Even those who believe in Christianity are not safe
The Christian community is about 0.30 percent of the total population here. Christianity spread here after the arrival of the Portuguese in the year 1510. But during the Bangladesh Liberation War, many Hindus and even Muslims adopted Christianity because the people of this religion supported them a lot. But even they could not escape the violence of the majority. The Persecution website talks about discrimination and violence against Christianity around the world. According to this, Christianity is facing the most discrimination in Bangladesh.
– In June 2001, 8 people were killed in a bomb attack on a Catholic church here.
– In July 2016, 20 Christians were killed by Islamic extremists.
– In April 2023, 8 tribal Christians were killed in Chittagong. Apart from this, churches were also continuously attacked and looted.
Why is the attack on Hindus the most discussed?
All the minorities are being attacked, but the attacks on Hindus are being seen more. The first reason for this is that they are the largest minority group. Recently, many Hindu organizations claimed that since the fall of Hasina government, 205 attacks have been made on them. Since their population is more, the extremists also target them first.
The second reason is the growing fundamentalism in Bangladesh. They separated from Pakistan on the basis of the Bengali language, but soon the demand for an Islamic state started to emerge. The large population of Hindus was a hindrance in this. This is the reason that during the Liberation War, both Pakistan and Bangladesh attacked Hindus. Even now, the fundamentalist Hindu-majority of Bangladesh see India as an enemy and news of boycott of Indian products keeps coming from there every now and then.
Lands of Hindus were also being occupied
Discrimination was not limited to destruction of religious places or violence, there were other ways of doing it. For example, for a long time there was the Vested Property Act, which is also called the Enemy Property Act. Under this, the Bangladesh government had the option of taking over the property of those Hindus who fled the country or were chased away. Under this law, the government there took over lakhs of acres of land. This rule changed only a few years ago. However, despite the promise, all the looted property could not be returned.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)