Rana Das Gupta who is the general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist & Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) has made a stunning claim that many leaders of the ruling Sheikh Hasina led Awami League, are involved in occupying properties of Hindus, who constitute a minority population in Bangladesh.
Gupta while speaking at the tri-annual conference of BHBCUC in Pirojpur on Friday, claimed that the leaders are involved in occupying those properties via various MPs and Ministers. He as a result requested Prime Minister Hasina’s intervention in the matter.
He also claimed that oppression against the Hindus has been going on since 1991 and justice hasn’t been delivered in connection with such crimes.
Such alleged instances of property occupation are dwarfed by the other persecutions which the Hindus are facing in Bangladesh.
We had recently reported how a violent mob set ablaze 30 Hindu homes at Thakurbari village in Rangpur Sadar upazila of the country. The mob was supposedly angered by an allegedly “defamatory” Facebook post by a Hindu resident of that village.
Gupta has alleged that local Awami league leaders were involved in this attack. He also claimed that another Awami league leader was involved in an attack on a Buddhist temple in Cox’s bazaar.
The Hindus who now comprise a mere 10.7% of the total population, have seen various kinds of atrocities heaped against them in recent years.
Reports have claimed that about 98 Hindus were killed, 357 injured and 1,109 received death threats in 2016 alone. It also claimed that 711 Hindus left the country, 209 idols were damaged and 22 were stolen.
In October, 2016 there were reports that at-least 15 Hindu temples in Bangladesh’s Brahmanbarhia district were vandalised and 100 houses were looted over allegations that disrespect was shown towards Islam on Facebook.
2013 also saw immeasurable atrocities against Bangladeshi Hindus. In the aftermath of the International crimes tribunal sentencing Delwar Hossain Sayeedi to death for war crimes during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, Hindu houses and temples were attacked by radical elements. This prompted the Bangladesh High Court to instruct the government to provide adequate security to the Hindus and repair the damage caused.