Following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the homes and businesses of Hindus in Bangladesh have been targeted amid escalating unrest and violence, a minority group has reported.
Smoke billowed near a burnt Awami League party office as anti-government protestors set fire in Dhaka on August 6, 2024, after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) reported that hundreds of homes, businesses, and temples have been vandalized across the country over the last 24 hours, following Hasina’s departure from Bangladesh.
The Hindu community, comprising around 8 percent of Bangladesh’s total population, largely supported Hasina’s Awami League government. However, the opposition bloc poised to take power includes a hardline Islamic party.
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The BHBCUC claimed that approximately 200-300 Hindu homes and businesses have been vandalized since Monday, when Sheikh Hasina fled to neighbouring India after resigning. Additionally, around 15-20 Hindu temples have been damaged, and 40 people from the community have been injured, according to BHBCUC general secretary Rana Dasgupta quoted by the Hindustan Times.
Evidence of Hindu Temples attacked by Islamist mobs in Bangladesh. This ISCKON Temple 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. pic.twitter.com/Kgdx6Hg8Yr
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 6, 2024
“The communal atrocities erupted hours before she resigned,” Dasgupta said. “Although there are no killings, there are injuries. Houses and businesses of minorities, especially Hindus, as well as temples, have been targeted, looted, and damaged.”
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The BHBCUC also reported that some unidentified men threw a brick at Dasgupta’s car on Monday in an act of communal violence. “I stand against communal atrocities and will not stop,” he said. “Until my death, I shall fight for them. I may not be able to physically protect them, but I can give them courage. I may not be able to resist attacks, but I can protest.”
Manindra Kumar Nath, a Hindu community leader, described the situation in Bangladesh as “horrific.” He said, “Even today, we are getting calls from people asking us to save their lives, but we are not receiving any support from anywhere.”
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Students who led the protests against Hasina, resulting in nearly 300 deaths since July, have repeatedly urged people not to target minority communities in the predominantly Muslim country. However, Hindu community leaders expressed feeling vulnerable due to the lack of a functioning government.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh on Monday, landing at the Hindon Air Base in neighboring India. Meanwhile, protestors stormed her official residence in Dhaka and ransacked important buildings and museums associated with the Awami League.
