The persistent targeting of minorities, especially Hindus, by vicious Muslim mobs in Bangladesh has severely discredited the claims of “secularism” offered by the interim government. On the other hand, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s administration has once again blamed India for highlighting the violence and mass killings, in a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the more pressing matter.
In a fresh display of indifference regarding the rapes and murders of Hindus as well as the destruction of their temples and properties, Bangladesh’s regime, on 4th December, claimed that India’s “governing elite” was trying to turn the situation beyond the border into an “internal political issue” between the two nations. It subtly implied that the massacre of Hindus at the hands of the jihadis was not something that India, or anyone else, should be concerned about, suggesting it was not a matter of significant importance.
The comments by Bangladesh officials came after Indian officials expressed concern over the increasing attack on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh.
Information adviser Nahid Islam said, “If this happens, it will be harmful to India’s domestic politics. Anti-Bangladesh and anti-Muslim politics won’t benefit India’s national interest or promote its unity,” reported The Times of India. He was among the student activists that led the rebellion against deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina prior to entering the interim government.
Meanwhile, his own administration continues to actively support anti-Hindu violence, not only through statements but also by tacitly endorsing the killings and subsequently denying them. The same was also pointed out by Sheikh Hasina who referred to Yunus and his coordinators as the mastermind behind the unrest and mass killings in the country. Nahid called on India to maintain “harmony” and “cease false propaganda” against Bangladesh.
The question arises: can it still be considered “false propaganda” when there is documented evidence, including videos and media reports from within the country, detailing the atrocities committed against Hindus and other minority groups? However, Bangladesh’s foreign policy in relation to India seems to have shifted towards shamelessly dismissing its own crimes and pointing fingers at its neighbour, for simply urging the incumbent government to fulfil its duty and protect its citizens irrespective of their religion.
Nahid claimed, “Bangladesh shares historical and cultural ties with West Bengal, Tripura and Assam. They are our stakeholders. During the uprising in Bangladesh, students from Kolkata and Delhi stood in solidarity with us and protested Hasina’s atrocities. India’s democracy-loving people are our friends.” India has historically shared strong ties with Bangladesh, as evidenced by the fact that the country’s very existence was made possible through India’s support.
However, the current government appears to have forgotten their past, as it increasingly attacks India. More importantly, democracy is supposed to stand for equality and justice, neither of which can be found in today’s Bangladesh, where fundamentalists and those who support them hold sway and are in power. Furthermore, the removal of Sheikh Hasina, which they often portray as a democratic transition, was anything but that.
Nahid didn’t miss to exploit the standard Leftist-Islamist ecosystem trope to bash “Hindutva” as if those who adhere to the ideology were responsible for the horrors in Bangladesh. These people have, however, taken up the term and employ it as a shield when encountered with uncomfortable truths that stem directly from their own actions. According to the information advisor, “Hindutva forces” opposed harmony and democratic connections. “They perceive the Bangladesh uprising and the political awakening of its students as a threat. As a result, they are fostering hatred towards Bangladesh,” he alleged.
In reality, there is no hatred, only concern, as religious minorities, specifically Hindus, are being slaughtered in Bangladesh while the government stands by, silently cheering on the bloodthirsty fanatics and none of this has anything to do with “Hindutva” but rather with the free rein given to the radical Muslims by the administration itself.
Nahid then brazenly stated that the “minority persecution narrative” was a continuation of Delhi’s purported effort to “disturb Bangladesh’s democratic nation-rebuilding process and rehabilitate the fascist Awami League.” The relentless persecution of innocent Hindus, including attacks on their religious institutions, seems to be what is now considered “democratic” in Bangladesh.
Muhammad Yunus and his anti-India rhetoric
Notably on 4th December, Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, asked for national unity in response to what he dubbed as a coordinated “campaign” by “big countries” to undermine the legitimacy of the movement that culminated in the establishment of his administration. The Nobel laureate opted to target India to distract attention from the inefficiency of his government rather than addressing the heinous murders of religious minorities, especially Hindus, and trying to bring peace and stability to his country.
Yunus brought out the rising tensions, particularly with India, while deliberately avoiding to name any specific country in his remarks to political party representatives. He claimed that “big countries” were allegedly involved in spreading false information about his government, in an indirect attack on its neighbour. The meeting was attended by leaders of different political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) headed by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and left-leaning outfits.
Yunus alleged, “Many are not liking our freedom, the (new) independence, desperate efforts are being made to upset it,” according to reports. He asked the political representatives for their opinions on three important matters: the attack on the Bangladeshi mission in Agartala, accusations of minority persecution in the nation and propaganda against the nation in India and other countries. Yunus denounced what he described as efforts to depict the July-August protests which resulted in Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as prime minister as a destabilizing incident. “The quarters who did not like the uprising are trying to depict it domestically and internationally as something dangerous,” he voiced.
The egregious assaults against Hindus in Bangladesh and the blatant refutal of these actions appear to align with every aspect of the interim administration. However, the world is neither blind nor has it turned a completely blind eye. Former United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Commissioner Johnnie Moore recently criticized the interim government in Bangladesh for the treatment of Hindus and other minorities, asserting that “Muhammad Yunus is failing” and that “there isn’t a minority in the country that doesn’t feel under threat right now.” The former United States president, who is currently the president-elect, Donald J trump expressed similar views in his Diwali greeting.
Yunus advocated for group efforts to disprove the narrative. “We have to tell the entire world that we are one. We achieved this together. This has now become a matter of our existence,” he urged. Providing a glaring example of misplaced priorities, Yunus is occupied with hiding the terrible events that took place under his rule in the name of “countering the narrative,” as opposed to working to curb extremist forces and safeguard the lives of religious minorities.
While Bangladesh’s interim government was preoccupied with accusing India and characterizing facts as propaganda and misinformation, a day earlier, on 3rd December, Ramen Roy, one of the attorneys for ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, was gravely hurt on the court grounds in Chittagong as he sought bail for the detained monk. Islamist lawyers had already threatened everyone not to take up the case after the murder of Saiful Islam Ali who chose to defend Das.
Meanwhile, a Muslim throng in Bangladesh’s Doarabazar, Sunamganj district, reportedly damaged 130 homes and 20 Hindu temples on the evening of 3rd December after a remark on Facebook that was n allegedly blasphemous and disparaging to Islam. This was a further addition to the continuous onslaught of Hindus in the country. Hindus were not even permitted to perform the auspicious Durga Puja in peace, as letters demanding Jaziya were sent to them.
Moreover, jihadi groups asked for a ban on open celebrations during the festival as it was disruptive to the majority non-Muslim population and damaging to the environment, according to them. They also wanted temples to publically display anti-India statements to prove their loyalty to Bangladesh.
The anti-quota protest, which escalated into anti-Hindu violence following Sheikh Hasina’s departure from the country, has only worsened with the support of the interim government which has focused its blame on India, using it as a scapegoat to deflect attention from the violence it has allowed to fester within its own borders, particularly targeting marginalized minorities as it continue to provide cover fire to the snakes it has unleashed in its own backyard against Hindus.
