Last Updated on 06/08/2024 by wccexam Desk
Bangladesh remains in the headlines after the coup and violence. Amidst the violence and arson in Bangladesh, the miscreants have now started targeting minority Hindus. Houses and shops of Hindus are being set on fire, even Hindu temples built in Bangladesh have now become victims of this violence. The Meherpur ISKCON temple in Bangladesh has also been set on fire. This is not the first time, Hindus have been attacked in Bangladesh for years. There have been many reports of vandalism and looting of Hindu temples, houses, shops, pandals. Even before this, many cases of attack on ISKCON temple and Hindus have come to light in Bangladesh.
In the year 2022, there was vandalism and looting in ISKCON, Dhaka
2021, 2022 and now 2024, there have been three attacks on the ISKCON temple in Bangladesh in the last four years. In the year 2022, this attack took place at 7 pm at the ISKCON Radhakanta temple located at 222 Lal Mohan Saha Street in Wari, Dhaka. This attack was carried out by a mob of more than 200 people led by Haji Saifullah. Like this time, the temple was vandalized and looted. Sumantra Chandra Shravan, Nihar Haldar, Rajiv Bhadra and many others were also injured in the attack.
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In the year 2021, devotees of ISKCON temple were beaten up
In the year 2021, the ISKCON temple was attacked by a mob in Noakhali, Bangladesh. At that time too, the temple was vandalized. Not only this, the devotees present in the temple were also beaten up. After this attack, ISKCON tweeted and informed about the attack. ISKCON was also releasing pictures of the attack that “Today, a mob violently attacked the ISKCON temple and devotees in Noakhali, Bangladesh. The temple has suffered a lot of damage and the condition of many devotees remains critical. We demand the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety of Hindus and bring the culprits to justice.
The attack happened in Durga Pandal on 13th October
Everyone is aware of the daily attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. One such attack was carried out during Navratri. On 13 October, when Hindus living all over the world including India were immersed in the joy of worshiping Goddess Durga on the Ashtami of Navratri. At such a time, in Comilla, located 100 km from Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, a rumor related to religion was used to incite a mob against Hindus and Durga Puja pandals, temples and houses of people of the Hindu community were attacked, vandalized and set on fire. Before this, the attackers had carried out several attacks on Durga pandals and temples. Three people were killed in these attacks. While more than 500 Hindus were injured.
The attacks did not stop even after the PM’s appeal for peace
During this time, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had appealed to the people for peace and ordered strict action but the violence did not stop. This orgy of violence continued for three days. This fire of violence that started from Comilla spread to many areas including Noakhali, Feni Sadar, Chowmuhani, Rangpur, Pirganj, Chandpur, Chittagong, Gazipur, Bandarban, Chapainawabganj and Maulvibazar. Places of worship were vandalized. At least six people died in this violence while incidents of attack, vandalism, looting and arson also took place in 60 worship pavilions.
Attacks on Hindus increased continuously in a decade
According to AKS, an organization working on minority rights in Bangladesh, minorities in Bangladesh have faced attacks 3679 times in the last 9 years from the year 2021. During this period, 1678 cases of vandalism and armed attacks in religious places came to the fore. Apart from this, there have been continuous attacks targeting the Hindu community, including vandalism and arson in houses. Especially after the victory of the Awami League in the 2014 elections, violent incidents took place on a large scale in which the Hindu community was targeted. In these attacks in 9 years, 11 people of the Hindu community lost their lives and 862 people were injured.
People from other minority communities have also become targets
In 2016 too, incidents of violence took place and 7 people lost their lives. Terrorist organisations were also said to be behind these attacks. Not only Hindus but other minority communities have also been targeted by continuous attacks in Bangladesh in the last few years. In 2019 and 2020, apart from Hindus, attacks have also been carried out by targeting the Ahmadiya community. Their shops, houses and businesses were set on fire. In the last eight years, four attacks were also carried out by targeting the Buddhist community.
The population of Hindus decreased in Bangladesh
Hindus have been persecuted in Bangladesh for years. The share of Hindus in Bangladesh’s population has declined from 22 percent in 1951 to less than 8 percent in 2022. This is when the population of Muslims has increased from 76 percent in 1951 to more than 91 percent. According to the Hindu American Foundation, more than 11 million Hindus left Bangladesh between 1964 and 2013 due to religious persecution. According to this, 230,000 Hindus continue to leave the country every year. If we look at the numbers, there are about 15 crore Muslims in Bangladesh and after this the population of Hindus is 1.31 crore. Apart from these, Bangladesh has 10 lakh Buddhists, 4.95 lakh Christians and 1.98 lakh people following other religions. In the 2011 census, this number remained only 8.5 percent. In 2022, it has come down to less than eight percent. At the same time, the population of Muslims has increased from 76 percent in 1951 to more than 91 percent in 2022
Hindus are forced to leave the country
According to DW, the 2011 census showed that one million Hindus disappeared from the country’s population between 2000 and 2010. This decline was caused not only by migration from Bangladesh, but also by the high birth rate among Muslims. Bangladesh’s state religion is Islam, but the Awami League government reintroduced ‘secularism’ in the preamble in 2011. A ‘secular’ Awami League government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was still in power for the last 15 years, so why are religious minorities facing such attacks and persecution?
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)