The protesting ‘students’ and extremists linked with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) – who have gained power since the ouster of Awami League – have continued purging Hindu and other minorities from educational institutions throughout Bangladesh. At least 49 teachers belonging to the Hindu faith or other religious minority groups have been forced to resign across the country since 5th August. As per reports, these extremists and radical students gheraoed teachers belonging to the religious minority groups and seiged their offices.
After humiliating, manhandling, and threatening them, the mob forced them to resign the minority teachers by signing blank papers. Notably, on 31st August, the student wing of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad – Bangladesh Chhatra Oikya Parishad – revealed the information at a press conference at Jatiya Press Club.
The minority organisation said that at least 49 teachers belonging to minority communities were forced to resign across the country after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government amid a student-led peoples’ uprising on 5th August 5.
One of the coordinators of the organisation, Sajib Sarkar said following the fall of the Hasina-led government, religious and ethnic minorities have faced attacks, looting, assault on women, vandalism of temples, arson attacks on homes and businesses, and killings. In addition, minority teachers across the country have been physically assaulted and at least 49 of them were forced to resign till 30th August.
He, however, added that 19 of these teachers have been reinstated after the Interim government faced massive backlash.
Bakerganj government college Principal Shukla Rani Halder is among the minority teachers who were forced to resign after a mob of ‘students’ and BNP ‘activists’ stormed her office. As per a report in Bangladesh’s Prothomalo, on the 29th of August afternoon, students and outsiders besieged her office and held her captive for several hours. The mob also exploited her vulnerable state and eventually forced her to resign. The images of her helpless state have gone viral on social media platforms, sparking massive outrage. Incidentally, many of her old students expressed outrage on Facebook stating that ‘the student-friendly’ teacher didn’t deserve the humiliation she was meted out by the extremists.
As per the report, Shukla Rani Halder is an officer of the 14th BCS education cadre. She became the principal of Bakerganj Government College in mid-2022. Previously, she served as an English professor at Government Brojomohun (BM) College in Barishal.
According to the Prothomalo report, eyewitnesses said the protest began around 10:00 am on 29th August. The protesters included more outsiders than ‘students’ and they were led by the son of a local BNP leader, who is a student at the college.
Most of the protesters were identified as BNP ‘activists’. According to the report, they forced the Hindu principal to resign from her post by accusing her on flimsy grounds. They accused Principal Halder of financial corruption, irregular attendance, and other misconduct.
After storming her office, by 2:00 pm, the mob forced, Shukla Rani Halder to write “I resign” on a blank sheet of paper. Subsequently, she was compelled to sign and stamp the paper.
In a statement to Prothom Alo, principal Shukla Rani Halder said, “Some of the students I taught have insulted me deeply. However, there were more outsiders than students involved. Unable to calm them down, I had no choice but to write my resignation. Now, the entire matter will be decided by the higher authorities in the education ministry.”
Regarding the allegations against her, she added, “There is no concrete evidence for any of the charges. There is infighting among the teachers, and one faction has used students and outsiders against me.”
Interim government faces massive backlash for persecution of religious minorities
Lashing out at the Interim government, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League shared reports of en-mass forced resignations of minority teachers and described it as a “wholesale purge of teachers from #minority communities”.
Highlighting the ongoing crisis in Bangladesh and Mohammad Yunus’ abject failure, Tasleema Nasreen wrote, “In Bangladesh, teachers are forced to resign. Journos, ministers, officials of the former govt are getting killed, harassed, imprisoned. GenZ burned down industries of Ahmadi Muslims. Mazars & dargahs of Sufi Muslims are demolished by Islamic terrorists. Yunus says nothing against it.”
It is pertinent to note that earlier OpIndia reported how Muslim students have forced as many as 60 Hindu teachers, professors, and government officials to resign from their positions. Additionally, OpIndia also pointed out how a controversial student body in Bangladesh dubbed ‘Odhikar Sochetan Shikharti Samaj’ (Rights awareness student society) released a list of 100 teachers and accused them of being ‘anti-hijab.’ The comprehensive list featured educators from all prominent institutions in the Islamic Republic, including the University of Dhaka.
OpIndia analysed the names of 100 teachers who were labelled ‘anti-hijab’ by the ‘Odhikar Sochetan Shikharti Samaj’ and found out that at least 21 of them were Hindus while 5 of them were Christians.
Apart from educational institutions, the Islamists and Interim government have led a brutal crackdown on Hindu journalists and those journalists who are considered close to Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the interim government to “halt the purging of journalists affiliated with the former government” and to immediately release them.
On 29th August alone, at least 25 journalists were charged with crimes against humanity for the death of a protester in July. Many of them include Hindu journalists. Additionally, since the fall of the Awami League government, at least 268 cases have been filed against 1.94 lakh people, mostly targeting Awami League leaders and activists including party president Sheikh Hasina and those who had been reporting on religious persecution of Hindus and other religious minorities. Many journalists and leaders have also been killed since 5th August.
On 5th August, Bangladesh descended into chaos after a successful coup ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, forcing her to flee the country. In the aftermath, Islamists took advantage of the situation to carry out violent attacks on the Hindu community.
