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‘Hindu, Hindu’: Islamists check dead body’s private part for circumcision, rejoice after realising that the person lynched is a Hindu, video from Bangladesh goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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‘Hindu, Hindu’: Islamists check dead body’s private part for circumcision, rejoice after realising that the person lynched is a Hindu, video from Bangladesh goes viral

The protests against the government in Bangladesh have descended into violence against the Hindu community. Numerous Hindu temples, homes, and other places that belonged to the Hindu community have been targeted for destruction. Countless Hindus have been victimized by the rampaging Islamists so far. Amid the turmoil, a video depicting Islamists breaking new benchmarks for savagery and hatred towards Hindus has gone viral.

In the video, Islamists can be seen encircling a dead victim lying on the ground. There’s a pool of blood beneath the deceased man’s broken head, and his hands are bound in handcuffs. Many men are gathered around him. With the aid of a stick, one man, whose face cannot be seen in the video, strips the deceased person naked and checks the victim’s private part for circumcision. Shouting ‘Hindu, Hindu’ over the corpse, the crowd hovering over the dead body laughs, realizing that the man is a Hindu because he is not circumcised.

Notably, the video in question is being taken down from all social media platforms, therefore we are not sharing it here.

Screengrab from the viral video

Hindus singled out and targeted by Islamists in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, political turmoil ensued over reservations for government jobs. The Islamists seized the opportunity to launch an unbridled attack on the minority Hindus in the country.

On 5th August, it came to light that Jihadis attacked Hindus’ houses, shops and temples in Bangladesh in the guise of protests against the Sheikh Hasina government. Despite the resignation by Hasina from the Prime Minister’s post, the protests continued and so did the attack on Hindus. Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar has also expressed concerns over attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. Earlier, OpIndia reported about the list of 54 attacks released by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and attacks reported by The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper. Several videos and photos of attacks on Hindus surfaced on social media.

As the day passed by, more details of the attacks with photos and videos surfaced. Apart from the 54 attacks reported earlier, yesterday (August 6, Tuesday), OpIndia detailed 7 more incidents of targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh after the coup against Sheikh Hasina.

‘Those hurting Muslim world will be targeted’: Pakistani national Asif Raza Merchant with ties to Iran charged for assassination attempt on Trump. All you need to know

Shraddha Pandey
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‘Those hurting Muslim world will be targeted’: Pakistani national Asif Raza Merchant with ties to Iran charged for assassination attempt on Trump. All you need to know

The US Justice Department has charged a Pakistani man identified as Asif Raza Merchant with alleged links to the Iranian government for seeking to carry out political assassinations in the United States, potentially targeting US government officials, according to court documents unsealed on Tuesday (6th August). This case has led the US government to increase security for former President Donald Trump and other officials.

While the criminal complaint does not name Donald Trump explicitly, multiple sources have told reporters that one of the intended targets of the alleged plot was Trump.

According to the court document, a federal complaint unsealed in Brooklyn has charged Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” a 46-year-old Pakistani national, with murder-for-hire in connection with a foiled assassination plot targeting a politician or US government officials on American soil. The accused Pakistani national has a wife and children in Pakistan and another wife and children in Iran. Asif Raza frequently travelled to Iran, Iraq and Syria.

The plot was thwarted by law enforcement before any attack could be executed. Merchant is currently in federal custody in New York, according to the press release released by the FBI.

“Fortunately, the assassins Merchant allegedly tried to hire were undercover FBI Agents,” said Acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis of the FBI New York Field Office. “This case underscores the dedication and formidable efforts of our agents, analysts and prosecutors in New York, Houston, and Dallas. Their success in neutralizing this threat not only prevented a tragic outcome but also reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to protecting our nation and its citizens from both domestic and international threats.”

“Working on behalf of others overseas, Merchant planned the murder of US government officials on American soil,” said US Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “This prosecution demonstrates that this Office and the entire US Department of Justice will take swift and decisive action to protect our nation’s security, our government officials and our citizens from foreign threats.”

Merchant travelled to New York City and worked with a hit man to carry out the assassinations in late August or early September, federal prosecutors said in a court complaint. The complaint says the plot was intended to target high-ranking US officials, potentially including Trump.

FBI investigators believe that the intended targets included Trump and other current and former US government officials.

According to the court document, Merchant orchestrated a plot to assassinate a politician or US government officials on US soil. In approximately April 2024, after spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan and contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme. This individual reported Merchant’s intentions to law enforcement and became a confidential source.

“On or about April 10, 2024, MERCHANT flew from Pakistan to Istanbul and then on to Houston, Texas on or about April 13, 2024, to recruit individuals to carry out his plot to assassinate U.S. government officials. Soon after arriving in the U.S., MERCHANT contacted the CS, under the guise of wanting to discuss potential business opportunities in the U.S. On or about April 22, 2024, MERCHANT traveled from Texas to New York to meet with the CS in person. MERCHANT told the CS that he and his uncle in Pakistan sold “yarn-dyed” clothing and suggested that the CS help MERCHANT sell the clothing in the U.S. MERCHANT instructed the CS to create a corporation in the U.S. which would enable them to do business together (“Corporation 1”),” the document reads.

In May this year, Asif Raza Merchant returned to Texas and dialled to the Confidential Source. Merchant offered him an opportunity to earn $100,000 in the “yarn-dyed” clothing business. The accused wanted to discuss the assassination plot with the CS in person.

In early June, during a meeting with the confidential source, Merchant outlined his assassination plot and suggested that this opportunity would not be a one-time event. He made a gesture resembling a gun while discussing the killing and specified that the targets would be “here,” referring to the United States.

“Those hurting Pakistan and the Muslim world would be killed”

Merchant’s plan included various criminal activities: stealing documents from a target’s residence, organizing protests, and ultimately assassinating a political figure or government official. He expressed concerns about security measures surrounding potential targets and discussed multiple scenarios for carrying out the assassination.

The Pakistani accused told the CS that “people who will be targeted are the ones who are hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world. These are not normal people.” He also expressed his affinity for Iran.

Merchant asked the CS to arrange a meeting with trustworthy people who could execute his plan. The accused asked CS to bring people who could do the killing, 25 people who would pose as protestors to cause distraction and a woman to do reconnaissance. He also sought an untraceable phone to secure communication with those involved in the assassination plot.

In a hotel room, Merchant used a napkin and certain objects to show a potential assassination plot, including the target, the crowd, the nearby buildings and streets. Merchant repeatedly asked CS about his strategy for assassinating the “target”.

Asif Raza Merchant gaming out the assassination plot on the napkin in a hotel room

Asif Raza Merchant assured payment to UCs through Hawala

In mid-June, Merchant met with individuals he believed were hitmen but were in reality, undercover FBI agents (UCs). During these meetings, he sought their services for theft and assassination and indicated that he would provide instructions on whom to kill after leaving the US. During the meeting, Merchant claimed to be a representative in the US suggesting that he worked for other people outside the US. Asif Raza Merchant also told the UCs that he would pay them via “hawala” in Istanbul and Dubai.

The codes for the Trump assassination plot

On 13th June 2024, Merchant met the Confidential Source again and wrote down certain code words for him and others involved in the plot to use for safe communication. The accused wrote that the word “tee-shirt” would mean a “protest,” which he described as the “lightest work.” The phrase “flannel shirt” would mean “stealing,” which was “heavier work.” The phrase “fleece jacket,” the heaviest work, would mean “the third task, commit the act of the game.”

Moreover, the accused Pakistani national instructed the Confidential Source to run a legitimate clothing business as they discussed earlier. He said that this would serve as a front for the plot so they could maintain communication. He also told the CS that the money being used for the assassination plot was Halal which means permissible in Islam.

$5000 seized by FBI

Merchant arranged to pay USD 5,000 in cash as an advance for the assassination services and successfully delivered this payment on 21st June. Following this transaction, he made plans to leave the country on 12th July 2024, one day before Trump’s assassination attempt. However, law enforcement intervened and arrested him before he could depart.

Handwritten note with “codes” scribbled on it seized by the FBI from Asif Raza Merchant’s wallet (All images via US Justice Department)

Notably, it was earlier reported that the United States had received intelligence from a human source about an Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump weeks before the assassination attempt against the former US President leading to increased security measures for Trump. At that time, the officials said that there is no known connection between this Iranian plot and the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate Trump on 12th July.

Situation in Bangladesh about to get worse? After fall of Sheikh Hasina, 2,200 inmates, predominantly from banned outfit Jamaat-e-Islami, get bail

Jhankar Mohta
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Situation in Bangladesh about to get worse? After fall of Sheikh Hasina, 2,200 inmates, predominantly from banned outfit Jamaat-e-Islami, get bail

On Tuesday, August 6, Separate Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Courts granted bail to 2200 members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and banned outfit Jamaat-e-Islami. They had been lodged in jail over recent turmoil across the country centring quota reform movement.

The accused who have been granted bail include BNP standing committee members Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Nazrul Islam Khan, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Shamsur Rahman alias Shimul Biswas, Saiful Alam Nirob, Rafikul Alam Maznu, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar and Bangladesh Jatiya Party Chairman Andaleev Rahman Partho.

Several other inmates who have been released on bail belong to the Pakistan-linked Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Bangladesh, the Islamist radical banned group, that has been running havoc on the streets of Bangladesh after the violent ouster of Sheikh Hasina and terrorising minority communities, particularly, Hindus. 

Earlier, OpIndia reported how Pakistan’s ISI, Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh JeI were the main actors that orchestrated and fueled the Hasina Out campaign in India’s neighbourhood. It is pertinent to note that JeI is a banned Islamist outfit that was responsible for the genocide of the Hindus and Bengali-speaking Muslims during the 1971 war. 

India banned JeI in February 2019 in the wake of the terror attack in Pulwama that claimed the lives of forty paramilitary CRPF members.

Back then, the government had detained 350 leaders of the Jihadi terror outfit. Moreover, 70-Srinagar-based bank accounts were seized, assets worth Rs 52 crore were confiscated and action was initiated under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The government crackdown had also affected the separatist organisation’s 400 schools, 350 mosques and 1000 seminaries across Jammu and Kashmir. In 2019 it was estimated that Jamaat-e-Islami has properties worth Rs 4,500 crores.

This year, on 27th February, the Union Home Ministry extended the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Jammu and Kashmir for another five years with immediate effect declaring it as an “unlawful association.”

The radical Jamaat-e-Islami J&K has long been at the centre of the Kashmir dispute, supporting separatist ideas and contesting Indian sovereignty over the area. It adheres to the teachings of Hasan Al Banna, Syed Qutb and Maulana Maududi which state that politics and society must be in line with Sharia. It backs Pakistan’s illegal claim to Kashmir. 

Apart from terror activities, JeI Hind has been fueling and attempting to mainstream radicalism and extremism in India. In October 2023, the radical Islamic organisation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) hosted an event to show ‘solidarity’ with the Hamas terrorists who massacred hundreds of innocent civilians in Israel.

OpIndia earlier widely reported how Jamaat-e-Islami orchestrated the hijab protests in Karnataka using foreign funds. Apart from SIMI’s offshoot PFI, Jamaat-e-Islami also played an active role during the Hijab protest in Karnataka. Incidentally, the Hijab protesters had also received backing from the Pakistan branch of JeI and the nexus indicated that a meticulous plan had been hatched to instigate Muslim students in the coastal districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada to create chaos that could have eventually been used to radicalise and recruit young Muslims into their organisation.

The radical Islamist outfit had also supported AAP councillor Tahir Hussain who was arrested in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau sleuth Ankit Sharma during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots. 

Now, amidst the unrest in Bangladesh, Islamists, including members of JeI have seen an opportunity to kill and torture the minority Hindus in the country and loot their properties. OpIndia has extensively been reporting on how Hindu minorities are being selectively targeted by Islamists under the garb of civil disobedience and non-cooperation with the Sheikh Hasina government.

Islamists loot and burn down the house of Bangladeshi Hindu singer Rahul Ananda, destroy thousands of handcrafted musical instruments

Anurag
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Islamists loot and burn down the house of Bangladeshi Hindu singer Rahul Ananda, destroy thousands of handcrafted musical instruments

On 5th August, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh following months of protests against her government and Bangladeshi Army took over the administration. Amidst the unrest in the neighbouring country, Islamists saw an opportunity to kill and torture the minority Hindus in the country and loot their properties. One of the most devastating stories coming from Bangladesh is of famous Bangladeshi singer Rahul Ananda whose house was looted and burnt down by an Islamist mob.

On the afternoon of 5th August, an Islamist mob reached the house of the singer and frontman of the band Joler Gaan, Rahul Ananda. He was living in a rental house that was attacked. When the attack happened, Rahul, his wife Shukla, his son Tota and other family members were there. Somehow, they managed to escape and took shelter at an unknown location. Saiful Islam Journal, founding member of Joler Gaan said, “Rahul Da and his family are shaken and take shelter in a secret place known to only a few. We could not contact him yet. It was not even his house, it was a rental he had been living in for decades. I came to know the incident happened around 4 pm. From what I have heard, a group of goons attacked the residence and Rahul Da, Shukla Di (Rahul’s wife), Tota (his son) and other family members somehow got out.”

Speaking to The Daily Star, a family source said, “As soon as they had broken the gate, they started ravaging the house taking whatever they could find for themselves. They took everything from furniture and mirrors to valuables. After that, they torched the whole house along with Rahul da’s musical instruments.” There were around 3,000 irreplaceable musical instruments at the house which he designed and made over the years. The monetary value of household items could be close to Tk 10 lakh, but Jarnal said, “But how could you put a price on the instruments which he so lovingly built?”

Sadly, some of the “friends” of the singer tried to whitewash the incident as an attack on a Hindu singer suggesting the attack took place because the house was adjacent to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s in Dhanmondi 32.

On their Instagram account, the band posted a video comprising of old visuals of the instruments and the condition of the house post-attack. The video is heartbreaking, to say at least.

In a long Facebook post, they posted a song and wrote that Rahul’s house was not just his but of the whole team. They created several songs and many melodies there. It was the official studio of Water Music where the team did all the studio work including recording mixing and editing. The post read, “Maybe we can rebuild this musical instrument, song or arranged family in a long time. But, how can I extinguish this fire of anger and vengeance? Why can’t we conquer everything with love and affection? If I fail to come forward in the same way to protect the freedom I dream of, then I sing my song in a broken heart with extreme disappointment, humiliation and shame.”

Notably, in September 2023, France’s President Emmanuel Macron made a friendly visit to Rahul’s house making it a centre of attention across the country.

The house, where Rahul lived, was a 140-year-old place which has now been burnt to ashes with all the memories and history it contained.

Arabic schools were used to radicalise, mastermind pledged allegiance to Darul-e-Islam: What NIA said chargesheeting 4 in Tamil Nadu ISIS module

OpIndia Staff
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Arabic schools were used to radicalise, mastermind pledged allegiance to Darul-e-Islam: What NIA said chargesheeting 4 in Tamil Nadu ISIS module

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 6 informed that they have filed a chargesheet against 4 men for radicalising youths and recruiting them for terrorist outfit ISIS. The accused have been identified as Jameel Basha, Mohammed Hussain, Irshath and Syed Abdur Rahman, a statement issued by the NIA said. The accused have been charged under the relevant sections of the IPC and UA (P) Act.

The chargesheet relates to the case filed by the NIA Chennai branch in August last year, based on the investigation into the blast triggered by an explosives-laden car outside the Sangameswarar Temple temple at Kottaimedu in Coimbatore in 2022.

The charge sheet pertains to case RC-01/2023/NIA/CHE, which was initiated by the NIA Chennai branch in August 2023 following discoveries made in the Coimbatore car bomb blast case, the statement read.

The NIA, during the investigation into the explosion that was triggered outside an ancient temple in Coimbatore, had established that the majority of the accused arrested in the case were engaged in the recruitment of gullible youth to the ISIS fold for the commission of unlawful and terrorist activities.

The religious indoctrination was carried out by the accused at an Arabic language centre called Madras Arabic College (at Coimbatore), later rechristened as Kovai Arabic College, the statement said.

Jameel Basha was the patron and chief mentor, who had guided his alumni to establish Arabic language centres at the district level, it said. The centre at Coimbatore was set up by Mohammed Hussain and Irshath.

According to NIA’s statement, Jameel Basha’s live or recorded speeches were played for the students at these centres. Social media platforms were also utilized to radicalize young people.

The IED planted in a car exploded outside the Coimbatore temple “as part of the violent jehad espoused by the accused”, the agency said.

The investigation agency further stated that accused Jamesha Mubeen, who died, was radicalized by accused Syed Abdur Rahman and swore allegiance to Darul-e-Islam, or ISIS. He carried out the IED blast as part of the terrorist group’s anti-India campaign.

Coimbatore blast

On October 23, 2022, there was an explosion at about 4 AM in a Maruti car just opposite the Kottai Eswaran temple in the Ukkadam area of Coimbatore. The vehicle, a Maruti 800 hatchback, was shattered into pieces as a result of the bomb blast. One Islamist accused identified as Jamesha Mubin also died in the incident.

It was reported earlier, that Mubin was an engineering graduate and was influenced by ISIS. He was caught on CCTV, loading a large object (LPG cylinder) wrapped in a white bag onto his Maruti 800 car. It was around 11:25 pm. Mubin was accompanied by 3 other men, namely, Mohammad Riyaz, Feroz Ismail, and Mohammad Navaz Ismail.

The Police during the investigation also recovered unexploded LPG cylinders, steel balls, glass pebbles, and aluminum and iron nails from the spot. A total of 6 people, namely, Mohammad Thalka, Mohammad Azarudheen, Riyaz, Nawaz, Afsar Khan, and Feroz had been arrested in connection to the case. The accused were charged under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Section 3A of the Explosive Substances Act by the Ukkadam police.

Coimbatore car blast terrorist Jamesha Mubin was completely radicalised

Investigators probing the October 23 Coimbatore blast had concluded that Jamesha Mubin was indeed on a suicide mission as he had shaved his body before the mission, a usual practice of suicide bombers following ISIS ideology.

Among the handwritten entries in Tamil that Tamil Nadu police found at Jamesha Mubin’s home in the Kottaimedu neighbourhood of Ukkadam were references to Muslims as “second-class citizens,” the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the hijab dispute in Karnataka, and a flow diagram with the names of Gods from various religions.

Along with a prayer that featured on the IS flag, Mubeen inscribed on the slate in Tamil, which translates to ‘those who dare to touch Allah’s house will be uprooted,’ according to the source. “We have evidence that he was influenced by videos of Sri Lankan Easter bombings mastermind Maulvi Zaharan Bin Hashim,” the official said.

Mubeen also left a scribbling on a white piece of paper that stated the call to Jihad,” an officer said. 

Centre rolls back Union Budget 2024’s indexation proposal on real estate after backlash

OpIndia Staff
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Centre rolls back Union Budget 2024’s indexation proposal on real estate after backlash

Following concerns and criticism regarding the Budget proposal to remove the indexation benefit on long-term capital gains (LTCG) from the sale of unlisted assets, the government has decided to offer taxpayers a choice in cases of property sales. Taxpayers can choose to either pay LTCG tax at a rate of 20 per cent with the indexation benefit or at the new rate of 12.5 per cent without the indexation benefit. Taxpayers would be expected to pay the lower of the two tax amounts, according to amendments in the Finance Bill.

These amendments are seen as a significant rollback of the earlier LTCG-related Budget announcements. Initially, the government defended the new LTCG tax regime, arguing that the removal of the indexation benefit was offset by the lower 12.5 per cent tax rate for most property transactions. However, the proposals faced backlash, with demands for a rollback or relief from various sectors, including real estate investors and property owners.

“For the transfer of a long-term capital asset, such as land or buildings, by an individual or Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), acquired before July 23, 2024, the taxpayer can calculate their taxes under the new scheme (12.5 per cent without indexation) and the old scheme (20 per cent with indexation) and pay the lower of the two amounts,” a source explained, detailing the key amendment.

Bangladesh: Rioters loot and vandalise before torching Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka, had earlier set fire to Bangabandhu Bhaban

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Rioters loot and vandalise before torching Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka, had earlier set fire to Bangabandhu Bhaban

A disturbing video of the damage inflicted on the Indira Gandhi Cultural Center (IGCC) in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area has surfaced amid the instability in Bangladesh, where violent protests over a jobs quota have resulted in over 400 deaths and the enforced resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The incident transpired on the afternoon of 5th August. The footage shows the building’s charred appearance. The contrast between the scorch marks and the stunning green of the lawns presents a dramatic image. On the front, where previously the sign read Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, now only the letters ‘G’, ‘N’ and ‘A’ remain, with broken windows and twisted metal rods from an awning staring mournfully.

Debris is all over the ground at the centre’s main entrance. Additionally, the clip shows some unknown young men wandering around the institution’s grounds. It appears like they are hauling away rubble, including what appear to be big pipelines. Furthermore, it displays partially burned bags that might be gifts from the cultural centre’s gift shop spread out around the floor. The footage shows a room that has been entirely wiped bare, which highlights the scale of the destruction and looting. Chipped bricks are showing through the scorched paint on the walls. A person is shown going across several old VHS cassettes that seem to be from the archives department, as they lie broken and crunch under his feet.

The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre was opened in March 2010 to strengthen cultural relations between Bangladesh and India. The centre partners with India-based specialists in Hindi, Yoga, Indian traditional dances like Kathak and Manipuri as well as classical vocal music in addition to hosting a variety of cultural events and seminars. It also engages with high-calibre and leading professionals from Bangladesh who have obtained training from Indian gurus or organizations. The centre, a part of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations of India, also includes a library with over 21,000 books on issues relevant to Indian art, culture, politics, economics, and fiction.

On 5th August, amid widespread violence in the Bangladeshi capital, vehicles were set on fire and the homes of ruling Awami League leaders were vandalized. During the unrest, mobs torched several key locations in Dhaka, including Bangabandhu Bhaban, also known as the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32, a museum dedicated to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who was Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Hasina’s father and the nation’s most prominent leader. He was assassinated in 1975 while he was serving as president of the country.

Large portions of Dhaka were affected by the violence that destroyed the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre and Bangabandhu Bhaban in recent days. This included the Prime Minister’s house, which was stormed and looted by demonstrators soon after Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country. Hindus and their temples are also under attack from the violent throngs.

Jamaat-e-Islami wreaks havoc after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster: Their Jihadi activity in India, funding to Hamas, genocide of Hindus, and the security risk to India

Paurush Gupta
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Jamaat-e-Islami wreaks havoc after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster: Their Jihadi activity in India, funding to Hamas, genocide of Hindus, and the security risk to India

Following the violent ouster of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, radical Islamist groups including Pakistan-linked Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Bangladesh have gained power through street violence and arson. Several gruesome reports of attacks on Hindus, their houses, and their temples have surfaced as Islamist groups have been running havoc on the streets and terrorising minority communities, particularly, Hindus. 

Earlier, OpIndia reported how Pakistan’s ISI, Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh JeI were the main actors that orchestrated and fueled the Hasina Out campaign in India’s neighbourhood. It is pertinent to note that JeI is a banned Islamist outfit that was responsible for the genocide of the Hindus and Bengali-speaking Muslims during the 1971 war. 

The Bangladeshi branch of JeI played a vital role in forming the Pakistani army’s auxiliary forces, such as the Razakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams, and the Peace Committee, which actively participated in atrocities against Bengali freedom fighters, especially Hindus. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu men, women, and children were massacred by JeI and its forces, while a large number of Hindu girls and women were raped.

A few years ago, the International Crimes Tribunals in Bangladesh described JeI’s role during the war of independence in 1971 as an active cohort of Pakistani occupation forces.

Strikingly, JeI was founded by Muslim Brotherhood leader Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi with the agenda of Islamic conquest and “bringing the world under the flag of Islam”. In the wake of its terror and extremist Islamist activities, the Bangladesh government banned it along with its student wing Chhatra Shibir as terrorist organisations under section 18/1 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009. However, its student wing, which is allegedly backed by Pakistan’s ISI, incited violence in the name of student protest and provoked it to turn violent and directed it against the democratically elected Sheikh Hasina government. 

Its student wing fuelled unrest by openly supporting anti-government protests that provoked the recent turmoil and challenged the authorities’ efforts to maintain stability. However, it is alarming that JeI is not only active in Bangladesh, it is said to be the offshoot of parent organisation JeI Pakistan which has links with other proscribed terror organisations. It is also active in all major countries of the world including India, Europe, the UK and the USA. This dangerous Islamist terrorist entity has had a presence in Europe since the 1960s, while it has a prominent presence in the United States.

The parent Islamist organisation, Jamaat-e-Islami is based in Pakistan and there it is working as an Islamist “political party”. It is said to be the Pakistani successor to Jamaat-e-Islami, which was founded in colonial India in 1941. It was founded by Abul Ala Maududi in Lahore and soon after the partition, it split into Jamaat-e-Islami (Hind) and Pakistan. 

The Pakistani Jamaat-e-Islami has remained the most prominent, due to its involvement in electoral politics. In the 1950s, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan launched a militant student wing – Islami Janiat-e-Talaba, which successfully gained control of many urban colleges and universities, often through violent tactics.

The student wing, which maintained control in many areas until 1988, marked Jamaat’s first use of violence. Jamaat-e-Islami maintains deeper links with various militancy outfits, including Gaza-based Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PJI). It also maintains deeper ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.

In 2006, JeI reportedly transferred $1,00,000 to the terror outfit, Hamas, to continue their Jihad against Jews and the State of Israel. Additionally, Rabah Times had flagged how the organisation had been working closely with the ‘Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD)’, a Muslim American charity.

Apart from terror activities, JeI funds and supports other terror outfits around the world and provokes the Islamic world, Ummah, to take action against India regarding Kashmir. JeI Pakistan had constantly invoked the International Brotherhood of Islam for the ‘Liberation’ of Kashmir. This terror outfit in Pakistan has been raising funds globally in the garb of charity for humanitarian assistance in Pakistan. Notably, in October 2022, a Diwali party was held in Brooklyn, New York to raise funds for this Pakistani jihadi outfit.

Under the pretext of raising funds for victims of flooding in Pakistan, the proceeds from the event were being funnelled to the Alkhidmat Foundation (the charity wing of the radical outfit Jamaat-e-Islami).

However, in 2021, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Siraj-ul-Haq rejected the idea of using taxpayers’ money for constructing temples in Pakistan. 

Earlier OpIndia reported how the organisation is receiving funds from Saudi Arabia universities to spread radical Islam in India. Additionally, the outfit was banned in 2019 for involvement in terrorist and secessionist activities.

JeI’s terror and extremist activities in India and the impact of JeI getting mainstreamed in Bangladesh

While the social unrest and democratic collapse in Bangladesh could unfold a humanitarian crisis on the Indian border, the surge of radicalism on our Eastern front, particularly with banned Islamist groups like JeI gaining an active share in power, has added security concerns for the Indian state. The JeI is not only banned in Bangladesh, it is also banned in India and Russia. 

India banned JeI in February 2019 in the wake of the terror attack in Pulwama that claimed the lives of forty paramilitary CRPF members.

Back then, the government had detained 350 leaders of the Jihadi terror outfit. Moreover, 70-Srinagar-based bank accounts were seized, assets worth Rs 52 crore were confiscated and action was initiated under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The government crackdown had also affected the separatist organisation’s 400 schools, 350 mosques and 1000 seminaries across Jammu and Kashmir. In 2019 it was estimated that Jamaat-e-Islami has properties worth Rs 4,500 crores.

This year, on 27th February, the Union Home Ministry extended the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Jammu and Kashmir for another five years with immediate effect declaring it as an “unlawful association.”

The government’s decision followed days after searches by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a terror funding case were conducted on the Jamaat-e-Islami chapter in Kashmir. More than Rs 20 lakh and incriminating documents and digital devices relating to the activities of Jamaat and its affiliated Trusts were seized during the raids conducted in Srinagar, Jammu, Budgam, Kulgam and Anantnag.

An NIA spokesperson revealed, “The investigations in the case, registered on February 5, 2021, have so far revealed that JeI and its members have continued to promote terrorist and secessionist activities in J&K even after the outfit was proscribed under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in February 2019.”

The J&K State Investigation Agency (SIA) took possession of many assets owned by the Jamaat in four districts of the Kashmir Valley in December 2022, valued at Rs 100 crore. 

The radical Jamaat-e-Islami J&K has long been at the centre of the Kashmir dispute, supporting separatist ideas and contesting Indian sovereignty over the area. It adheres to the teachings of Hasan Al Banna, Syed Qutb and Maulana Maududi which state that politics and society must be in line with Sharia. It backs Pakistan’s illegal claim to Kashmir. The Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest indigenous terrorist group in Kashmir was regarded as JeI’s military wing in the 1990s. Security services suspected that even though the JeI publicly disassociated itself from the Hizbul in 1997, it is still secretly supporting the outfit.

It is said that JeI is supporting demands for secession from India, and has been supporting terrorist and separatist groups. Its notorious leaders include Abdul Hamid Fayaz, Zahid Ali, Mudasir Ahmad and Ghulam Qadir.

Apart from terror activities, JeI Hind has been fueling and attempting to mainstream radicalism and extremism in India. In October 2023, the radical Islamic organisation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) hosted an event to show ‘solidarity’ with the Hamas terrorists who massacred hundreds of innocent civilians in Israel. The event named ‘Palestine Solidarity Convention’ was held in Muslim-majority Malappuram District in Kerala on 13th October, last year, just days after the brutal terror attack took place in Israel. The banned Jihadi outfit later justified it saying there was nothing unusual or illegal about holding an event in support of a terrorist outfit.  

OpIndia had earlier reported how a Kerala-based journalist revealed that this banned Jihadi terror outfit was receiving funds from Saudi Arabia universities to ‘Islamise’ India. 

Terror outfit JeI Hind and affiliated units undertaking Islamic brainwashing and orchestrating protests to Islamise India

OpIndia earlier widely reported how Jamaat-e-Islami orchestrated the hijab protests in Karnataka using foreign funds. Apart from SIMI’s offshoot PFI, Jamaat-e-Islami also played an active role during the Hijab protest in Karnataka. Incidentally, the Hijab protesters had also received backing from Pakistan branch of JeI and the nexus indicated that a meticulous plan had been hatched to instigate Muslim students in the coastal districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada to create chaos that could have eventually been used to radicalise and recruit young Muslims into their organisation.

Apart from the Islamisation of India’s educational institutions, the JeI Hind and its affiliated units in India have been holding events to radicalise Muslim youth and lure non-Muslims, particularly Hindu girls to Islam. 

Incidentally, in March 2023, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind put out a poster stating that it was holding an “awareness program” for Muslims to make them “full Muslim”. The banner read, “‘poore ke poore Islam mein aa jao’ (turn fully to Islam)”. It is supposed to mean that Muslims who practice the faith but half-heartedly should embrace it fully and become ‘full Muslims’.

Additionally, in October 2022, JeI Hind organised a get-together event for ‘non-Muslim’ girls in the Karimnagar area of Telangana. However, the Telangana Police refused to grant permission for the event after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) intervened in the matter.

The radical Islamist outfit had also supported AAP councillor Tahir Hussain who was arrested in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau sleuth Ankit Sharma during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots. During the 2019 elections, the Jihadi terror outfit banned under UAPA had issued appeals to Muslims to cast their vote for the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh. 

Furthermore, following numerous arrests and busting of several Bangladesh-linked terror networks, the Indian security agencies had time and again alerted about the surge of Islamist terror outfits in Bangladesh that conspired to carry out terrorist activities in India even when pro-India Awami leader Sheikh Hasina was in power. 

Now, with JeI, a banned Islamist and terror outfit, gaining power on our Eastern border, New Delhi braces itself for an alarming rise in the risk of cross-border terrorism as well as a large influx of refugees, creating a humanitarian crisis as well as a security crisis on the border. The Bangladeshi terror modules which had been attempting to carry out terror attacks in India may try to smuggle Islamist extremists as well as terrorists in the garb of Hindu refugees fleeing persecution and furthering their agenda of Islamising India through radicalism, brainwashing and increased terror activities and insurgencies on India’s eastern front.  

Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh: How US Diplomat Donald Lu, whom Rahul Gandhi met during ‘secret visit’ to White House, has mastered regime change operations

अनुपम कुमार सिंह
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Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh: How US Diplomat Donald Lu, whom Rahul Gandhi met during ‘secret visit’ to White House, has mastered regime change operations

In Bangladesh, thousands of rioters succeeded in their ‘regime change’ plans as they created unrest throughout the country demanding the resignation of the democratically elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As thousands of rioters marched towards her official residence in Dhaka, Gana Bhawan, she was forced to flee the country for her safety and take temporary refuge in India. In the meantime, the celebrating protesters stormed her house, ransacked and looted everything they could lay their hands on. While some of the rioters waved looted animals, others displayed her sarees and undergarments as spoils of war. 

However, in India, the Islamists, left-leaning journalists and other usual suspects have been peddling this as some sort of a ‘victory of democracy and youth’, despite numerous reports of targeted attacks against Hindus, their houses and their temples coming out from Bangladesh. Additionally, several Hindu leaders and journalists have been killed in the so-called protest for upholding democracy. 

Nonetheless, the protest which initially began with the demand to end the reservation for the families of freedom fighters ‘liberation warriors’ of Bangladesh, finally culminated in ‘regime change’ in India’s eastern neighbour. As more pictures and videos have been emerging out of Bangladesh, the apprehensions of persecution of minority communities, particularly, the Hindus are increasing alarmingly. 

However, the global reactions over the sudden and chaotic developments have again underscored the fact that there are multiple things at play, behind the scenes, and there is more than what meets the eye. Amidst all the preliminary observations, the role of one man, Donald Lu, is emerging as a critical factor in sealing the outcome of events in Bangladesh.

Who is US Diplomat Donald Lu who made a sudden visit to India during the Lok Sabha elections; Rahul Gandhi reportedly also met him during a secret visit to the White House

Donald Lu is an American diplomat who currently serves as the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs since September 2021. Earlier, he was the US Ambassador to Albania and Kyrgyzstan. He has a controversial track record and is notorious for interfering in the political processes of other countries.

The self-anointed Human Rights, democracy and virtue-signalling Police of the World, the United States of America has earned infamy for meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, their election process and their key policy measures in the garb of Human Rights reports and sermons thereof. Donald Lu is the American equivalent of a ‘Chinese wolf warrior’. He had often expressed concerns about Human Rights issues (read warnings to countries that do not toe US dictation) in India under the tenure of the Modi government as well as several other countries around the world.  

Taking a step further, he made a sudden visit to India when the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 were in full swing. Interestingly, he didn’t land in the National Capital, New Delhi but he visited Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, so far which is said to be a stronghold for Dravidian politics and a bastion where BJP is considered weak. The leaders of the DMK party had often raised the secessionist demand for a separate nation, ‘Dravida Nadu’. Regarding his visit, the US had released a controversial press release claiming that Donald Lu embarked on a visit to Chennai to ‘strengthen bilateral relations with South India’.

Back then, a Geopolitical expert Dr. Anant Bhagwat had said that the Biden administration did not want a stable government in India, because during the ten years of the stable Modi government, India followed a strong and independent foreign policy and it was undeterred by external pressures. 

Strikingly, last year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reportedly had a secret meeting at the US White House where he met Donald Lu as well as other officials of the Biden administration. Incidentally, during his US trip, the Congress leader made several contentious remarks including seeking ‘foreign intervention’ to restore ‘democracy in India’ as it was a global public good. 

Regarding Donald Lu, the founder of Pune-based ‘Global Strategy Foundation’, Bhagwat said, “Donald Lu is a hated figure in India due to his interference attempts in Indian democracy. Last year, he entertained Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi at the White House.” However, the Ministry of External Affairs of India did not have any information related to this.

Donald Lu and his observations about India, ‘concerned’ about Jammu and Kashmir, Human Rights and more

When Donald Lu appeared before the US ‘Senate Foreign Affairs Committee’ in March 2023, he expressed concern about human rights issues in India. He had expressed concern over the absence of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and ‘ongoing human rights violations’.

After the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A, Ladakh was carved out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and the remaining part was given the status of a Union territory. Post the abrogation, there has been a marked reduction in stone pelting, on average over 2 crore tourists have visited the UT in a year. While elections were held in the valley for the first time for third-tier governance, the USA expressed concerns that India was not holding elections for the J&K assembly. 

Regarding Jammu and Kashmir, Donald Lu told the US Senate, “We are closely monitoring reports of discrimination against Muslim communities and other religious minority groups as well as limits on free speech and NGOs.” 

He added that it is critical that India’s partners speak up when they “witness troubling events”, however, stating that they also support India’s democratic institutions which are the country’s key defence against the erosion of human rights. 

He added, “We have not seen the holding of Legislative Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.” He had also expressed concerns about the arrests of ‘prominent journalists’ in the Kashmir valley. 

It is pertinent to note here that so far, over 70 government employees have been dismissed in Kashmir for helping terrorists or for involvement in anti-India activities. For example, the editor of a media organisation named ‘Kashmir Wala’ was jailed because Fahad Shah had glorified terrorism. Despite these grave concerns for India’s national security and territorial sovereignty, the US ‘expressed concerns’ on these arrests of ‘prominent journalists’ despite it being the internal matter of its “ally” country.

During the Senate hearing, he also gave his observations about India-Taiwan relations.  

“We have seen the Indian Navy sail into the Taiwan Straits. I think that’s symbolically very important at the time when we all are looking to provide reassurance to Taiwan about their security,” he said.

While India has maintained that the USA is an important partner, the USA which is driven by a hegemonistic worldview, has been co-opting its partners/allies to play its junior partner or even a second fiddle and act as its weapon against China. 

During the same trip, he also visited Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. 

By the time of his visit to Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina came back to power for the fourth time. US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has been accused of supporting the opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which had boycotted the last elections.

People close to Sheikh Hasina then believed that America was mounting pressure on Dhaka to follow the anti-China line. In the Indo-Pacific frontier, the USA was continuously trying to court Bangladesh on its side. For this, it had also expressed ‘concerns’ (read warnings for Independent foreign policy) about human rights issues in Bangladesh, before the elections. 

Donald Lu’s involvement in other countries

Additionally, in Pakistan, the elected Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in April 2022 and a temporary government was established after he was publicly seen at odds with the US administration. He was ousted by the Pakistani military and replaced by a coalition of several parties. 

The ousted Pakistan PM Imran Khan had alleged that he was removed because of ‘foreign interference’ and had mentioned the name of Donald Lu as the facilitator. However, Lu had termed all these allegations as false and rubbished it as a ‘conspiracy theory’. 

It is said that even though the US imposed sanctions on Russia in the wake of its war against Ukraine, Imran Khan was improving diplomatic ties with Russia, which angered the USA. 

All this indicates that the deep state of the United States of America has increased its meddling and intervention efforts in South Asia. 

Furthermore, Donald Lu had also mentioned ‘political reforms’ in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina’s party ‘Awami League’ had raised the issue of US support to their rival party, BNP and its leader Khaleda Zia. In the current unrest in Bangladesh, the mobs of violent protesters have been targeting ‘Awami League’ leaders and have killed several of them. 

Incidentally, similar unfortunate scenes had emerged from Sri Lanka in July 2022 as it got trapped in the US-China rivalry. Back then, violent protesters had stormed the Rashtrapati Bhavan of Sri Lanka and indulged in vandalism and loot. It is said that as Sri Lanka was getting deeper in the Chinese debt trap, America desperately wanted to stop Chinese influence in the island nation.  

The Sri Lankan protests yielded the same outcome as it did in Bangladesh, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had to resign from his post and leave the country. Likewise, his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa had to leave the post of Prime Minister. 

Meanwhile, this year, Donald Lu has claimed that Sri Lanka is now making a comeback. Now, America is funding the Colombo West Terminal Port. Financial assistance was given to Sri Lanka through USAID. USAID is an ‘International Development’ organisation, however, it has also been accused of funding regime change. 

Incidentally, while praising the ‘new’ Sri Lanka, Donald Lu had warned India-Bangladesh regarding Rohingya. Notably, illegal Rohingya immigrants have become a major problem for law and order and national security in India as they have been found committing crimes and many of them have been living in India on forged documents. 

Now the question arises whether Donald Lu wants to carry out similar ‘regime change’ operations or colour revolutions in India that he is accused of orchestrating in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka? However, such an operation is very difficult in India as it involves more complexities with every state and UTs having their own unique issues and strengths. In India, the sources of income and priorities of people keep changing in every region, with agriculture being the only profession that unites the entire country.

US deep states and why it is irked that the Modi government is in power in India

It is an open secret that majorly all global powers follow a containment strategy and want to ‘check’ the progress of other countries including their allies and the US has a similar stance towards India, especially led by a stable and progressive government which has a Nationalistic worldview. Having said that, the US deep state would obviously prefer a weak coalition anti-BJP government in India rather than a strong Modi government. For this, propaganda and global smear campaigns against India are in full swing.  

On the internal front, all efforts have been made to spread confusion and chaos by provoking sentimental issues be it Agniveer, regarding which false claims were openly made even inside the Parliament. A concerted campaign is going on to divide the Hindu community on caste lines with Rahul Gandhi promising inside Parliament that the opposition would carry out a nationwide caste census. 

During the ‘Farmers Movement’, the country witnessed how ‘protesters’ rampaged Delhi on Independence day and Khalistani flags were seen on the Red fort. Additionally, the protesters gheraoed the national capital for over 1 year. Even today many farmers are sitting on the Shambhu border of Punjab-Haryana.

These are all such issues which can be used to instigate a large section of the people of the country. Incidentally, journalists, particularly Pakistani journalists expressing concerns about Indian democracy, pose questions to the ‘prepared’ spokesperson of the Biden administration on every trivial matter or protest which is and should have been left to India to tackle as it is the country’s internal matter.   

As an ambassador in Albania-Kyrgyzstan, Donald Lu instigated people to overthrow the government

Apprehensions take flight especially when a notorious US diplomat like Donald Lu is in charge of such things who has a tainted tenure in Albania. During his tenure in Albania, he publicly provoked people to overthrow the country’s government. He had asked the public to pose questions to the leaders and change the government.

Provoking the public in the garb of genuine issues like parliamentary and judicial reforms, he asked the Albanian youth to put pressure on their government to lead a better life than their parents, adding that otherwise, they should overthrow the government.  

Additionally, the American Ambassador then toured several cities of the small country and held ‘discussions’ with the youth. 

Similarly, when Donald Lu was the US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, political tensions prevailed in that country. He stayed there from 2018 to 2021, and in between his tenure, Kyrgyzstan witnessed a major protest. In June 2019, lawmakers voted to open a criminal case against then-President Sooronbay Shiripovich Jeenbekov.

He finally had to resign in 2020, as there were many protests against him. Something similar happened there too as there were allegations of rigging in the elections held in October 2020. It is said that America also had a hand in pressuring President Sooronbay Shiripovich Jeenbekov to resign. Protests are still going on in Albania to remove Prime Minister Edi Rama. Force had to be used to stop the demonstrations in many cities. Because of these developments, Donald Lu is also credited for the unrest in Kyrgyzstan and Albania.

Not just 54: Here are 7 more incidents of targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh after the coup against Sheikh Hasina

OpIndia Staff
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Not just 54: Here are 7 more incidents of targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh after the coup against Sheikh Hasina

On 5th August, it came to light that Jihadis attacked Hindus’ houses, shops and temples in Bangladesh in the guise of protests against the Sheikh Hasina government. Despite the resignation by Hasina from the Prime Minister’s post, the protests continued and so did the attack on Hindus. Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar has also expressed concerns over attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. Earlier, OpIndia reported about the list of 54 attacks released by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and attacks reported by The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper. Several videos and photos of attacks on Hindus surfaced on social media.

As the day passed by, more details of the attacks with photos and videos surfaced. In a video shared by X user YearOfTheKraken, a woman in Bangla was heard saying, “They are destroying our Mandir. They are destroying our Mandir. Have they ‘freed’ the country to destroy Mandirs?”

An X user, Rahul Verma, shared the ordeal of a friend whose ancestral house in Bangladesh was set ablaze. The mob also tried to rape his aunt. He wrote, “One of my friends whose ancestral home is in BD and currently living in Gede(Border area) in WB India told me that his house set ablaze and they also tried to r@pe their masi… The situation is too tough to control,” and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help Hindus in distress in Bangladesh.

In a post, Executive Editor of TV9 Network, Aditya Raj Kaul said, “Evidence of Hindu Temples attacked by Islamist mobs in Bangladesh. This ISCKON Temple is in Meherpur, Khulna Division of Bangladesh. I spoke to senior ISCKON office bearers who confirmed that at least 5 temples in Bangladesh have been attacked and gutted. Many Hindus are in hiding.”

Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus, one of the most prominent accounts sharing the details of the attacks, shared pictures of a clinic of a Hindu ransacked.

In another post, the handle shared visuals of the house of a Hindu doctor being burnt.

Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre has also been burnt.

Islamists attacked a Hindu village in Thakurgaon. Houses, shops and temples were burnt.

On 5th August, Bangladesh was pushed into chaos after a successful coup leading to the ouster of PM Sheikh Hasina. Later, she fled the country to a safer location as the agitated mob was about to reach her residence. The protests that started against reservation for the family members of the freedom fighters turned into full-fledged violence against the government. Several protesters were killed as the government used armed forces and police against the protesters leading to the fall of Hasina’s government.

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