In its report on the first 100 days of the Yunus government, the anti-graft rights body Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said religious and ethnic minorities, marginalized communities, and those with dissenting opinions have become victims of violence.

-Six people died, and hundreds were injured in clashes and arson incidents between Bengalis and tribals in Khagrachhari and Rangamati.

-According to the Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad (HBCOP), 2,010 incidents of communal violence occurred between August 5 and 20, resulting in the deaths of 9 minority individuals, while newspapers (Prothom Alo) reported that 1,068 Hindu facilities were attacked, of which 560 had no links to the Awami League.

-More than 50 small and large shrines belonging to a Muslim group were attacked and set on fire in different parts of the country, leaving at least one person dead and 43 injured.

-Security concerns were raised during Durga Puja celebrations.

Comments: Lack of effective initiatives to identify, verify, and investigate allegations of violence against religious minorities, indigenous peoples, marginalized communities, and those with dissenting opinions, as well as to take appropriate action.

The government first acknowledged the incidents of minority repression on December 10, nearly four months after taking office and a day after Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka.

Documentation of 1971 Hindu genocide in Bangladesh

Factbox: Mass violence before and after Sayedee verdict in 2013

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam at a press conference said 70 people were arrested in 88 cases of torture against minorities across the country from August 5 to October 22.

On January 11, the Chief Adviser’s press wing came up with the findings of an analysis by the Police Headquarters, claiming that 98.4% of the 1,415 incidents (reported by the HBCOP) of attacks and vandalism against minorities were politically motivated, while 1.59% occurred due to communal reasons. Of the investigated cases, 1,254 were found to be substantiated, while 161 lacked evidence.

However, the government has not yet protested the news report by the Prothom Alo but ignored its content that 560 out of 1,068 incidents had no links to the Awami League.

According to the findings of investigations carried out by Prothom Alo’s correspondents all over the country (64 districts and 67 upazilas), attacks on the minority community took place in 49 districts from August 5 to 20.

They saw 546 of the damaged houses and business establishments, that is, 51% of the total damaged structures. Information on the rest was gathered from various sources. In several districts, the attacks were extensive. In some districts, it was comparatively less. There are 49 districts where at least one such incident occurred.

The Daily Star reported that Hindu houses and business establishments were attacked and looted by mobs in at least 27 districts on August 5. The report created severe criticism at home and abroad, and the pro-Yunus newspaper stopped giving updates.

While denying the facts and neglecting justice in the cases it has acknowledged, the interim government and its supporters are focused on the misinformation campaign in India.

In an interview in September with Press Trust of India, Yunus agreed that there had been attacks. But they are politically motivated. “While beating up Awami League cadres, they had beaten up Hindus as there is a perception that Hindus in Bangladesh mean Awami League supporters,” Yunus said. “I am not saying what has happened is right, but some people are using it as an excuse to seize property.”

US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in January that there are repeated allegations of violent attacks against Hindus and other minorities and that the police have failed to ensure protection.

-Groups promoting extremist Islam are attacking minorities, particularly those from Hindu and Ahmadiyya communities.

-Ethnic minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts endure continued discrimination and violence by the authorities.

-While the interim government has introduced a new ordinance to replace an abusive law used to crush freedom of speech under the Awami League, the new legislation unfortunately replicates many of the same harmful provisions.

-Even as many Bangladeshis rejoiced at the end of Sheikh Hasina’s repressive rule, in some places celebrations turned violent. Mobs targeted those perceived to be supporters of the Hasina government, including religious minorities.

The HRW also said that in September, violence broke out in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Believing that members of the Indigenous Jumma community had killed a Bengali settler, mobs attacked the ethnic minorities and burned their properties. When Jumma youth protested, the military used live ammunition to disperse the gathering. At least four people were killed in the violence. Independent international human rights monitors and journalists continue to be denied access to the area.

The HRW also criticized the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in a fictitious case. Chinmoy’s crime was that he spoke for the minorities and demanded justice and compensation for the victims by staging large rallies across the country.

Even the biased and incomplete report by the OHCHR said: “Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims and indigenous people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts were also subjected to human rights abuses. While some 100 arrests in relation to attacks on distinct religious and indigenous groups have reportedly been made, the perpetrators of many other acts of revenge violence and attacks on such groups still enjoy impunity.”

The National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh (NHRC) said: “Such violation of human rights can tarnish the image of the country. The law enforcement agencies, civil society and students should play an effective role in maintaining communal harmony.”

Farcical trial of Chinmoy

The HRW said Chinmoy does not have legal representation. A Hindu lawyer said: “Lawyers are afraid to represent Chinmoy as there were threats of mob violence. We all have our families to worry about.”

The Chittagong Lawyers Association asked its members not to represent Das and other alleged people responsible for the death of Jamaat-backed lawyer Saiful Islam following violence in the court on November 27.

In the bail hearing, his counsel presented that the sedition case filed against Chinmoy on charges of flag desecration is baseless.

-The flag that is flown under the ISKCON flag in the video of the rally is actually the flag with a moon and star. That is, it is not Bangladesh’s flag.

-Also, the plaintiff did not attach any section of flag desecration to the case.

-The flag that is mentioned as desecration is also not in the seizure list. As a result, the complaint is not properly proven.

It was also presented in the bail hearing that although Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Bangladesh requires formal approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs to file a case on charges of sedition, it did not happen in this case. No person can file a sedition case without the permission of the state. The court also does not have jurisdiction to consider such a case. There are procedural errors in the case. Since this case is baseless, Chinmoy is entitled to bail.

During the hearing, the lawyers also said that Chinmoy has a specific address, so there is no chance of him fleeing if he gets bail.

On the other hand, state counsel Mafizul Haque Bhuiyan argued that the sedition case is not bailable, and therefore Chinmoy has no chance of getting bail.

Details of the Prothom Alo report

Summary (grammar checked): After the change in the country’s political scenario on 5 August this year, there were certain incidents where the minority community, including Hindus, came under attack. Then again, the social media and the Indian mainstream media ran rife with misinformation centring on these incidents. They came up with exaggerated figures of death. From the very outset, Prothom Alo has published several reports regarding the attacks on minorities.

These reports were based on various incidents, not the entire picture. That is why it was necessary to run a countrywide investigation to get the facts. Information regarding the attacks on the minorities was collected from 5 to 20 August. This information was rechecked and analyzed, and a report was prepared. Then the floods arrived, and various districts were inundated. But discussions and debates continue on this issue at home and abroad. Against this backdrop, albeit delayed, the readers are presented here with an account of the recent attacks on minorities in various districts.

Report (verbatim): After the fall of the Awami League government, there have been several incidents of attacks on the minority communities all over the country, particularly on the Hindu community. In many areas houses, business establishments and places of worship have come under attack, damaged extensively and even set on fire in certain instances.

The attacks basically began from the afternoon of 5 August. There were more attacks on the first two days. Prothom Alo correspondents carried out investigations from 5 to 20 August and found evidence of at least 1,068 houses and business establishments of the minority community being damaged. Outside of that, 22 houses of worship came under attack.

Most of the attacks took place in the country’s southwestern division Khulna. At least 295 homes and business establishments of the minority community were destroyed in the division. Also 219 houses and business establishments were destroyed in Rangpur, 183 in Mymensingh, 155 in Rajshahi, 79 in Dhaka, 68 in Barishal, 45 in Chattogram and 25 in Sylhet. In some places the damage to buildings was extensive, in some place less.

After the fall of the government, there has been news of two members of the minority community being killed in these attacked. One of the deceased persons was Mrinal Kanti Chatterjee. He was a retired schoolteacher. He was beaten and hacked to death on the night of 5 August in the village Chhoto Paikpara of Rakhalgachhi union in Bagerhat Sadar. His wife and daughter were injured in the attack. The other person was Swapan Kumar Biswas of Paikgachha, Khulna. On 8 August, while on his way home, he was beaten up, tortured and killed.

According to the primary figures of the Bangladesh Hindu Christian Bouddha Oikya Parishad (provided on 20 August), over 200 attacks took place in over 50 districts. They are now gathering further details and will soon present the full picture at a press conference.

General secretary of the Hindu Christian Bouddha Oikya Parishad, Rana Dasgupta, told Prothom Alo that it is not just a matter of numbers. If one house is attacked, people of 10 other houses are in panic. He said, for 50 years now , when political scenarios change, when there are anti-government movements and in other circumstances, the minority community is targeted. The aim is to rid Bangladesh of the minorities. He feels this is a political target too.

Previously the minority community came under a major attack during the rule of the Awami League government in 2021 during Durga Puja. Bangladesh Hindu Christian Bouddha Oikya Parishad at the time had said, on from 13 October to 1 November that year 117 temples and puja pavilions in 27 districts had been damaged. Also 301 business establishments and houses had been damaged and looted. Nine persons were killed.

Of the 1,068 houses and business establishments that were attacked, the owners of at least 506 were involved in Awami League politics.

According to the findings of investigations carried out by Prothom Alo’s correspondents all over the country (64 districts and 67 upazilas), attacks on the minority community took place in 49 districts. They saw 546 of the damaged houses and business establishments, that is, 51 per cent of the total damaged structures. Information on the rest was gathered from various sources. In several districts the attacks were extensive. In some districts it was comparatively less. There are 49 districts were at least one such incident occurred.

Attacks were also launched on the Christian and Ahmadiyya Muslim community and on members of the ethnic minority. According to Bangladesh Christian Association, there were attacks on the Church of Bangladesh in Naogaon, the Evangelica Holiness Church in Dinajpur, the collection booth of the Christian Cooperative Credit Union in Madanpur of Narayanganj, and three Christian houses in Gournadi of Barishal, one in Khulna city, one on Halwaghat of Mymensingh, and one in Parbatipur. A statue of Mother Mary was damaged in the Nijpara Mission in Thakurgaon and threats and attempts were made to attack a number of missionary schools and colleges.

Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D’Cruze of the Roman Catholic Church in Dhaka, told Prothom Alo, “There have been attacks on the minority community in various places of the country. That is unfortunate. We want to live in this country peacefully regardless of caste and creed. But there are attacks on the minorities at various times. However, the attackers are not identified and they are not punished.” He said that those involved in the attacks must be identified. They must be tried. Only then will such attacks stop.

According to the Kapaeeng Foundation, a human rights organisation for the ethnic minority community, there have been at least 10 attacks on the ethnic minority communities in Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj and Thakurgaon.

It was said that houses were damaged in two of the attacks, though no figures were mentioned. There were also two incidents where land was grabbed and fish were stolen from ponds. Kapaeeng Foundation also said that the statues of Sidhu Murmu and Kanhu Murmu, two historical characters of the Santal rebellion against the British, were damaged.

The Ahmadiyya community has said 137 of houses and six Ahmadiyya mosques were damaged in attacks in Panchagarh, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Nilphamari, Madartek in Dhaka, Sherpur and Mymensingh.

Public relations office of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Congregation Ahmad Tabsir Chowdhury told Prothom Alo, “We are not in politics, we are not involved with any party. I feel the attack was made upon us this time, taking advantage of the fact that the law enforcement was not active.” He said that they had come under attack during the rules of BNP and Awami League too

Members of the minority community say that most of the attacks were from the ‘victory processions’ after the fall of the government. The attackers included certain local extremists and supporters of BNP, Jamaat and of some religious groups.

However, from 6 August initiative was taken by BNP and Jamaat as well as students and social organisations to guard the houses, business establishments and places of worship of the minority community. Political parties issued statements against the attacks.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on 8 August. On 10 August members of the minority community gathered in large numbers in Dhaka, Chattogram and other districts to protest. They demanded that measures be taken within three days for legal action regarding the attacks and that their eight-point demand be met. They demonstrated the next day too in Dhaka and other districts.

On 13 August Dr Yunus held a meeting with 40 representatives of various minority community organisations including the Hindu Christian Bouddha Oikya Parishad.

He inspected the Dhakeswari Mandir too on that day. At the temple he said, “We want to build up a Bangladesh that is just one family. That is the basic premise. There will be no differences within this family, the question of divisions will not arise. We are the people of Bangladesh, Bangladeshis.”

Most attacks in Khulna
The most attacks took place in Khulna division. The findings of Prothom Alo’s correspondents reveal that incidents of attacks on the minority community took place in all 10 districts of the division. The most houses and business establishments were damaged in Khulna district (74). The next highest numbers of minorities were attacked in Jashore, Satkhira and Magura.

Before the attacks took place in Khulna, many members of the Hindu community had left their homes. Sujit Roy of Koyra said that they heard in the evening of 5 August that their house would come under attack and so they shifted to a different house. As they were on their way to the other house, they could hear noise of things being broken. He said that their furniture and even the roof of their house had been destroyed.

On the night of 5 August an attack was launched on Bejpara in Jashore town. At least 200 Hindu families live there. Local residents say at around 9:15 that night 20 to 25 persons carrying cleavers and sticks launched an attack there. They damaged and looted houses.

Lakshmi Rani Paul lives with her parents at the ground floor of Paresh Basu’s house in Banani Road of Bejpara. Her sewing machine is her only means of earning. Eye-witnesses way the attackers broke open the front door of the house and snatched away her sewing machine, their stove, the gas cylinder and the jewelry of her brother’s newly-wed bride from the wardrobe.

A visit to Lakshmi Rani’s house on 6 August saw no one was home. Lakshmi Basu, wife of the homeowner Paresh Basu, told Prothom Alo, after the incident Lakshmi Rani Pal and members of their family went away from there.

Rangpur, Rajshahi and Mymensingh divisions
The second largest attack was in Rangpur division. The minorities in Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat and Panchagarh districts of this division came under the most attack.

In various areas of Thakurgaon district 78 houses and business establishments of the minority were vandalized and set on fire. The Prothom Alo correspondent visited Thakurgaon Sadar and Baliadangi upazilas on 19 to 21 August and spoke to the affected people there. Speaking to Prothom Alo, Kamal Barman of the village Lauthuti in Shukanpukuri union of the Sadar upazila said suddenly some strangers launched an attack with sticks and crude firearms. They looted whatever they found in the houses.

The third highest amount of damage was done to houses, business establishments and houses of worship in Mymensingh division. Most of these attacks were carried out in Netrakona and Mymensingh districts. There were comparatively a lower number of attacks in Sherpur and Jamalpur.

At least 19 shops of the Hindu community, including Gayanath Mishtanna Bhandar, Durga Mishtanna Bhandar and Uttara Hotel, were looted and vandalised in Netrakona town.

A visit there on 23 August saw that the shops had resumed business. Before that, the local BNP leaders helped in recovering the stolen refrigerators, furniture and other goods. Owner of Uttara Hotel, Debshankar Roy, told Prothom Alo they opened up their shops again two days later after being reassured that there would be no further attacks.

In Rajshahi division, there were attacks on houses and business establishments, this being the fourth highest number of attacks. The most attacks in this division were in Rajshahi, Bogura and Naogaon districts.

In Rajshahi, members of the ethnic community came under attack too. On 5 August an attack was launched on the Pyarpur village of Mohanpur upazila in the district. Visiting the hill community village on 17 August, the Prothom Alo correspondent saw the roofs of many of the houses had been damaged. Three houses had been set on fire. A temple had been vandalised too.

Wiping away her tears, resident of the village Surji Rani told Prothom Alo, she, her husband and their daughter had jumped into the river to save themselves.

Dhaka, Chattogram, Barishal and Sylhet divisions
The attacks in Dhaka, Chattogram, Barishal and Sylhet were comparatively less. The attacks took place in Narsingdi, Faridpur, Rajbari and Tangail of Dhaka division; Barguna and Pirojpur of Barishal division; Chattogram, Noakhali and Khagrachhari of Chattogram division; and Maulvibazar and Sylhet of Sylhet division.

On 5 August a temple of Dhanuka Monsha Bari in Shariatpur of Dhaka district had been vandalized. The attack carried on for two to three hours. Later army personnel arrived on the spot and the attackers ran away.

General secretary of the Dhanuka Monsha Bari temple Gobinda Chakrabarty told Prothom Alo on 6 August, “We could not leave our homes in fear during the attack. The attackers had laid siege to our homes on all sides to attack, but the army personnel saved us.”

“Equal rights must be ensured for all”
The members of the minority community say even in the areas where there were no attacks, the people were in fear. The fear has not abated.

When asked about the attacks on the minority communities, Dhaka University’s Emeritus Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury told Prothom Alo that given the chance, in Bangladesh the strong tend to persecute the weak, try to grab their property. But this time there was been a positive trend. Many have come forward to protect the minorities. This positive trend must be encouraged.

He said, “If a new Bangladesh is to be built, equal rights must be ensured for all, where there will be no differentiation based on religious or ethnic identity.”

[Prothom Alo’s correspondents in the relevant districts and upazilas provided information for this report.]