On August 5, 2024, the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government fell after over 15 years of continuous rule that began on January 6, 2009. During this period, incidents of violence, harassment, and attacks against the Hindu minority were rampant. Temples and puja pandals were vandalized, and in some cases, Hindu women were reportedly sexually assaulted. The pertinent question is: were there any efforts to bring the perpetrators of these acts to justice from 2009 to 2024? The answer remains, overwhelmingly, no.
Stepping further back into Bangladesh’s history, from the nation’s inception in 1971 to the present day, no government has successfully brought those responsible for attacks on the Hindu community to justice. Governments often made promises but failed to deliver. The only exception was in 2021 when one perpetrator Iqbal Hossain was arrested. Even then, no conclusive punishment followed. Why attacks on Hindus are not prosecuted or why have governments historically shown such reluctance to deliver justice to the Hindu community? This question warrants separate writing and in-depth research. For now, let’s focus on the recent incidents.
As soon as the news of the government’s fall spread on August 5, 2024, violence against Hindus began. Despite some attributing these attacks to political causes, actually they were not political at all. Let me explain why.
A political party can have people of all religions, all classes, all professions, it is their right. When that government or party falls, it would be logical for people from all communities—irrespective of religion, class, or profession—to face repercussions. However, why are people of only Hindu religion are attacked, not people of other religions? Why are only Hindu businesses vandalised? Why are only Hindu places of worship attacked? Moreover, Hindus who are directly involved in politics are also under attack. Why?
And, who are the attackers and what are their religions? What political parties have they aligned with? Or do they have no identity at all? Or are they afraid to catch or punish them even if they have identities? These crucial questions need answers.
As the world increasingly talks about being human, compassion, and tolerance, Bangladesh seems mired in discussions framed solely through the lens of religion. Every act, whether addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division, is filtered through religious identity. Is this the way a civilised state should operate?
In Bangladesh, the winter season witnesses an increase in religious gatherings, particularly “Waz Mahfils” (Islamic sermons). These gatherings, while religious in nature, have frequently turned into platforms where derogatory remarks are made about Hindu gods and goddesses, Hindu customs as well as the Hindu community. It has happened in the past. It will continue to take place in the future. Such sermons, which spread hatred, are readily available on platforms like YouTube. Despite this hate speech being widely available, was any action taken against the speakers? Did anyone ask, why is hatred being spread against Hindus? No.
However, one can imagine the consequences if a speaker from another community insulted a different religion. Would they be able to continue living in the country? Likely not. Yet, preachers spreading venom against Hindus seem to enjoy impunity. Over the past 15 years, these elements have been emboldened, and as a result, hate has permeated the consciousness of ordinary people.
It has become a predictable pattern, whenever something happens, Hindu homes and businesses are targeted. Whenever there is political turmoil—be it national elections, local elections, or fall of governments, government formations, or religious festivals such as Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, places of worship, houses, and businesses of Hindus are vandalized. Is this something that happens to other religious communities? The answer is no.
In some incidents, fake social media accounts have been created using Hindu names to post offensive comments against Muslims and Islam. Several such instances have happened in the last two decades, where investigations have revealed that these comments were not made by Hindus.
In many such cases, Hindus who have been targeted with fake Facebook accounts in their names are poorly educated, they don’t even know how to use Facebook. In some cases, the targeted victims didn’t even have a smartphone. In some other cases, it has been found that the victim himself went to the police station and made a GD (General Diary) entry.
Yet, in every instance, the Hindu community becomes the target, and their homes are attacked. The administration also does on take action on those who attack Hindus and detains the victims instead. As per the police, it is the fault of the person in whose name a fake account was created, and the person who created the fake account and posted offensive comments is not guilty. Nobody feels the urge to find out who was behind it.
Over the past two decades, extremist groups have thrived in this climate of impunity, always looking for opportunities to incite violence against the Hindu community. And despite overwhelming evidence, justice is rarely served.
Following the fall of the Awami League government, there has been no instance of mosques or madrassas being attacked. I am not saying they should be attacked, I will never say that any place of worship should be attacked. Why were Hindu temples attacked? Who will answer that?
Awami League government fell on 5 August 2024, but even in the first week of September, Hindu homes and businesses were targeted, particularly in northern Bangladesh, with reports of arson in Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, and Panchagarh. These are not political attacks from any angle. These attacks, as verified by the victims and grassroots organizations like “Bangladesh Agnivir,” have confirmed that those targeted were not involved in politics but were simply helpless victims of senseless violence. People who don’t bother about anything other than their own regular activities are actually being attacked. When will this cycle of violence end? No one can say for sure.
While Hindus are majorly attacked, such acts of violence are not limited to Hindus. There have been a few isolated incidents targeting Buddhist temples and Christian churches. The Bangladesh Christian Association has reported several such attacks, including attacks on the Church of Bangladesh in Naogaon, Evangelica Holiness Church in Dinajpur, The Christian Co-operative Credit Union’s collection booth in Narayanganj’s Madanpur, three Christian houses in Barisal’s Gournadi, one in Khulna city, one in Mymensingh’s Haluaghat and one in Parbatipur. The statue of the Virgin Mary was vandalised at Nijpara Mission in Thakurgaon.
According to the human rights organisation Kapeng Foundation, at least 18 houses were vandalised or set on fire in at least 10 attacks on ethnic minorities in regions like Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj, and Thakurgaon. There were two incidents of land grabbing and fish looting. Statues of Sidhu Murmu and Kanu Murmu, historical figures from the Santal Rebellion, were also damaged in Dinajpur.
Apart from this, the Ahmadiyya community has also been attacked. The reason isn’t political either. They were attacked because they are not recognized as “true Muslims” by many in the country.
As per people from the Ahmadiyya community, 137 houses and six Ahmadiyya mosques were damaged in attacks in Panchagarh, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Nilphamari, Madartek, Sherpur and Mymensingh in Dhaka. Ahmad Tabshir Chaudhry, public relations secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, said, “We do not do politics, we do not have relations with any party. I think the attack on us this time was to take advantage of the lack of law enforcement agencies. He said attacks on Ahmadiyyas were also carried out during the BNP and Awami League regimes.
The Misconception About Attacks on Hindus
Since August 5, 2024, a series of attacks targeted Hindus in Bangladesh. Most media outlets claimed that these assaults were politically motivated. But is this truly the case? From the beginning, except for a few exceptions, the majority of the media was reluctant to cover these incidents as attacks on Hindus. They either reported them as isolated incidents or portrayed them as political violence. Even Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, Secretary General of the ‘Hindu Mahajot,’ initially labelled these attacks as political.
However, on August 23, 2024, at a press conference, Pramanik revealed that from 6th August to 22nd August, a total of 132 Hindu families—who had no political affiliations—were attacked. Nearly 1,000 families were victims of extortion, and 43 unprotected temples in rural areas were vandalized.
The reason for Pramanik’s initial statement was speaking without investigating the whole incident. Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, secretary general of the Hindu Mahajot, speaks on every incident. But he has less to say about Hindus or for Hindus. He creates more confusion. It is troubling that Pramanik’s contradictory statements are eagerly promoted by the media, which generally avoids publishing accurate reports of violence against Hindus. What they publish is just a press release or a statement from an organization.
The Hindu Mahajot’s data shows that the 43 temples vandalised in rural areas, were these temples engaged in political activities? Did the deities worshipped there have political leanings, or were they members of the Awami League? Clearly, these attacks were not politically motivated but rather deliberate and aimed at erasing Hindu identity.
The actual number of incidents is likely much higher. If the attacks that began on 5th August 2024, had been reported in full, the number would increase by 50-60 or possibly more. The country’s media, however, does not want to cover such statistics. If places of worship belonging to other religions were similarly targeted, would the Bangladeshi media have remained silent?
The Role of the Media
Our analysis and research of dozens of English and Bengali national dailies and online newspapers in August 2024 reveal that most media outlets either did not cover or were reluctant to report on the persecution of Hindus. Even when they did, the reports were so minimal and vague that one would hardly realize the extent of the attacks. Indian media, on the other hand, did report on the continuous violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, though in some cases, they exaggerated the events. Ironically, these exaggerations were eagerly picked up by Bangladeshi media to fact-check.
The question is: during the rule of the Awami League, has the Bangladeshi media adequately reported on the persecution of Hindus? No, they have not. For example, on October 13, 2021, during Durga Puja, a man named Iqbal Hossain placed a Quran at the foot of a Hanuman statue at a puja mandap in Nanuadighi in Comilla. This act was caught on camera and it was pre-planned.
This act incited a series of extremist attacks, including vandalism of Hindu temples across the country. The extremists first attacked the Durga Puja Mandap on the banks of Nanuadighi in Comilla. At one stage of the attack, they even forcibly immersed the idol. After that, for ten days, Hindu temples and Puja venues across the country were attacked.
Yet, at first, except for a few outlets, the media remained silent, most of them didn’t report the attacks on Hindus and their places of worship. There was almost a media blackout of the incidents. Only after the violence escalated did they begin to report on the incidents.
Will There Be Justice?
In October 2021, after the attacks in Comilla, Noakhali and Chandpur districts, 51 cases were filed, with 439 named and 5,700 unidentified suspects. However, even as of now, investigations for 94% of these cases remain incomplete. Charge sheets were submitted in just three cases in Noakhali.
This indicates a lack of seriousness by the administration and the government when it comes to attacks on Hindus. Moreover, it remains unknown under whose instructions Iqbal Hossain, the perpetrator, acted.
According to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, between October 13 and November 1, 2021, in 27 districts, 117 temples and puja pandals were vandalized, and 301 businesses and homes were attacked and looted.
Nine people lost their lives, yet the state has not offered any compensation to the victims’ families. Neither have there been any punitive measures against the attackers of 117 temples and puja pandals.
Imagine if this kind of violence had been directed toward Muslims or any other religious group. Would the administration have remained silent? Personally, I stand against any form of violence. Every individual has the right to practice their religion freely, and it is the responsibility of the state to ensure peaceful religious observance for all. Yet, despite repeated attacks, justice for Hindus in Bangladesh remains elusive.
There have been several instances of targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh: the attack on Hindu villages in Sunamganj’s Shalla in March 2021, the October 2021 attacks in Comilla, continuous assaults in various districts, communal violence in Narail in July 2022, and now the August 2024 attacks. Throughout the last 50 years, no justice has been served for the violence against Hindus, and there is little hope that this time will be any different.
On September 12, 2024, the newspaper Prothom Alo published a report stating that, between August 5 and August 20, at least 1,068 homes and businesses belonging to minority communities were damaged in the attacks. However, this report only covered a fraction of the violence, and it is not a complete and comprehensive picture.
Information about attacks on all monasteries and temples were not included in the report. Attacks on 22 places of worship were mentioned. Most of these 22 places of worships belong to Hindus. The question is, were the deities of these attacked temples involved in politics? If there is no politics, then it must be admitted that the attacks on Hindus since August 5, 2024 are not political but aimed at the extermination of Hindus.
The Trauma of Persecution
The continuous violence has left Hindus in rural areas traumatized. In Naogaon, for example, minorities live in constant fear. They are reluctant to file complaints regarding attacks out of concern for their safety, they don’t want to increase enmity by filing cases. In Jessore’s Bagharpara, Hindus remained terrorised even two weeks after the attacks. Similar fear prevails in places like Manikganj, where BNP leaders are accused of land-grabbing and threatening Hindu families. Residents of Vidyadharpur, Rajshahi, remain on guard, sleepless after attacks on their community. In other regions like Mymensingh, Bogura, and more, people are still reeling from the trauma.
The BBC Bangla reported that a Hindu organization, the National Hindu Mahajot, claimed that there have been 278 attacks in 48 districts following the fall of Sheikh Hasina government. Another group, the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, asserts that at least 205 incidents of minority persecution have occurred across 52 districts.
Regardless of the exact figures, there is no denying that Hindus have been subjected to systematic violence. After such violence, attacks, torture, proper investigation and strict punishment of the culprits are needed, but none of this happens in Bangladesh, Hindus are repeatedly attacked and tortured.
Violence against Hindus has become so commonplace that perpetrators feel emboldened by the lack of consequences. Since 1947, there has been a concerted effort to eradicate Hindus from this region. While they may not disappear entirely, they are likely to suffer, maybe they will leave the country, or possibly rise up against the persecution. The question is, when will they rise?
