Bangladesh becoming increasingly unsafe for Hindus

Abhijit Roy

The arrest of a monk Chinmay Krishna Das Brahmachari, associated with International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh has aroused outrage in many regions, including India. The Indian government has expressed concern about the arrest and has asked the Bangladeshi government to protect the safety of minorities. The arrest comes amid an increase in attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh. Chinmay Krishna Das was protesting crimes against Hindus in Bangladesh. He is accused of disrespecting the national flag of Bangladesh during a rally in Chattogram in October.

This episode occurred during a period of dwindling Hindu population and weakened democracy in Bangladesh. According to reports, a Muslim youth submitted a Facebook post demanding that ISKCON be banned, prompting a protest from the local Hindu community. The situation of Hindus in Bangladesh is troubling. Hindus used to account up 20 percent of Bangladesh’s population, but that figure has since dropped to less than 9 percent. Hindu community leaders claim that minorities are always easy targets for miscreants. According to one assessment, between January 2013 and September 2021, there were at least 3,679 attacks on the Hindu community, including vandalism, fire, and violence.

Bangladesh is experiencing difficulties following Sheikh Hasina’s fall from power. The Yunus administration has failed to halt attacks on minorities and Hasina’s party members. Yunus downplayed claims of increased attacks on Hindus, claiming that violence against minorities had only occurred in a few incidents. Yunus stated in an interview some time ago that attacks against Hindus were not sectarian, but rather the outcome of political turbulence, as most Hindus are believed to favour Hasina’s Awami League.

Recently, there have been calls to proclaim Bangladesh an Islamic state. The country’s Attorney General recently claimed in a High Court hearing that “socialism and secularism do not reflect the realities of a nation where 90 percent of the population is Muslim.” Analysts linked Bangladesh’s current position to the political situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Bangladesh’s condition has been compared to that of Afghanistan following the student protests that resulted in the coup and the ousting of Sheikh Hasina from power. The reactions have created numerous issues about Bangladesh’s future, and it is unclear which course the country will go.

(Author is a columnist. The views expressed are personal opinion of the author.)