The Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajot (BJHM), a coalition of 23 religious organizations, has reported a disturbing rise in violence against the Hindu community since the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister on August 5. According to BJHM, 278 Hindu families across 48 districts have been subjected to acts of vandalism, arson, looting, and land grabbing, plunging the community into a state of fear.
During a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Tuesday, BJHM leaders released detailed data on the violence that has occurred between August 5 and August 12. Despite having lived in Bangladesh for generations, the Hindu community is now grappling with unprecedented levels of insecurity.
Palash Kanti Dey, spokesperson and executive secretary of BJHM, described the violence as not only an attack on individuals but an assault on the Hindu religion itself. “The incidents of vandalism, looting, arson, land grabbing, and threats to leave the country have been repeatedly inflicted on the Hindu community due to the shifting political landscape,” Dey said, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune.
In response to the escalating crisis, BJHM, a self-described politically neutral Hindu rights body, has put forward seven urgent demands to the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus. These demands include a judicial inquiry into the “worst communal attacks” on Hindus, the creation of a Minority Protection Act and Commission, the restoration of damaged temples and houses at public expense, and a detailed report on minority persecution in Bangladesh since 2000.
BJHM President Prabhas Chandra Roy emphasized the community’s desire to live in peace and security in their homeland. “Whenever there is a change in government, Hindus are the first to be attacked. Although there were fewer incidents in the past, they have increased recently. We want to live in this country with security. We were born here, and we have rights in this country,” Roy stated.
In a gesture of solidarity, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus visited the historic Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka earlier in the day, reassuring community leaders of his commitment to human rights and freedom of speech. “Everyone has equal rights in the country. There is no discrimination between us. Please help, be patient, and judge us later on what we did and what we didn’t. If we fail, then criticize,” Yunus was quoted as saying by local media during his temple visit.
Legal and religious affairs advisors to the interim government, Asif Nazrul and A.F.M. Khalid Hossain, accompanied Yunus during his visit. Yunus highlighted the need for institutional reform to address the root causes of communal violence, asserting that all citizens should be seen as human beings first, regardless of religious affiliation.
