Round
The World
New Delhi, 22 October 2021
Bangladesh Violence
CONCERNS IN INDIA
By Dr D.K. Giri
(Prof. International Relations, JIMMC)
Violence erupted in Chittagong district of Bangladesh this 15th
October, on the 10th day of Durga puja celebrations. The
provocation for this mindless violence against Hindu devotees was reported
insult to the holy Quran which was kept on the knee of a Hindu goddess.
Hundreds of Muslims attacked Hindu temples and homes leaving six people dead, over
100 injured and dozens of homes destroyed. The police, however, swung into
action and arrested 450 people at the time writing.
The violence during Durga Puja is one communal riot after a
decade of peace and harmony under the reign of Awami League, led by Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina. Although, Bangladesh observers would contend that this
is part of a pattern of recent attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country. The
attack is usually fuelled by hate speeches on social media, running counter to
the values of the Constitution. About 3600 attacks on Hindus have taken place
since 2013. Indigenous Hindus have been targets of organised hate,
discrimination and violence. Consequently, Hindus as a minority population has
decreased from 28 per cent in 1940s to 9 per cent now.
The pattern of attacks consists of the following: something
fake and fabricated is posted on the Facebook and marked as insulting to Islam
by others. Then a group of people from majority Muslim community would attack a
particular spot inhabited by minority Hindus. Attackers are hardly punished.
Thus, the culture of impunity is the major reason behind such attacks. In
earlier times, the victims could not even lodge a protest, now, one can do so.
But no action is taken on the complaint.
There have been serious reactions from United Nations and
the United States, both government and non-governmental agencies. Top UN
officials have condemned the killing of Hindus. The US Department Spokesperson
said, “Freedom of religion or belief is a human right. Every person around the
world, regardless of their religious affiliation and belief should feel safe
and supported to celebrate important holidays.” The State Department condemns
the recent reports of attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh, added the
spokesman.
A US based advocacy group called Hindu PACT has condemned
the killing and has demanded action against the perpetrators. Mia Seppo, the UN
Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh has called upon the Hasina government to
ensure protection of minorities and order an impartial probe to the incident. The
controversial writer Tasleema Nasreen has condemned the incident in possible
strongest tone and has stated, “Hindu and Buddhist in Bangladesh have become
third class citizens. The anti-Hindu mindset is alarming. Bangladesh has become
a ‘jihadistan’.” She argues that Muslims want Hindu to leave the country so
that they can grab their land.
As per the reactions from India, the mercurial BJP MP
Subramaniam Swamy questioned the ruling BJP on its silence over the recent
spate of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and has demanded that unless the
violence stops, India should invade Bangladesh. This is bizarre as the
Bangladesh Prime Minister is a friend of India and she has forthrightly
condemned the violence. She has even participated in a march against the
perpetrators of the recent violence.
The official reaction from South Block is that the Indian
High Commission was in close contact with the authorities in Dhaka. The MEA
Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi assured that government is keeping a close watch.
He said, “We have seen some reports of attacks on religious gathering in
Bangladesh. We note that Bangladesh government has strongly reacted to it.” He
assured that minorities were being protected by para-military force deployed in
22 districts after the killing of Hindus.
Notably, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad condemned the attacks on
temples in Bangladesh and demanded strict action against the perpetrators as
well as protection of Hindus. In a statement, VHP General Secretary Milind
Parande urged the Bangladesh government to duly compensate the victims for
their loss of life and property. He added that the government of India as well
as the global community should pressurise Bangladesh government to take action
appropriate action to prevent recurrence of such violence.
The reactions in Bangladesh have been encouraging. Hundreds
of people, the progressive Muslim protested in a rally in Chittagong, the
epicentre of recent violence. The mob violence began in Comilla, Hajigang town
in Chittagong district. The biggest Hindu organisation, International Society
of Krishna Consciousness (ISCKON) backed by students of Dhaka University
blocked a major intersection in Dhaka demanding justice.
The Awami League, the ruling party also is planning a series
of rallies. The General Secretary of the party, Mahabubul Alam Hanif said that
the party workers were planning to conduct peace rallies across the country
over the next two weeks. He emphasised, “The panic has to be removed. Out of
168 million people in Bangladesh, 10 per cent is Hindus.”
So, the religious violence is a result of hate speech,
religious aggression and polarisation amongst the communities. This has been
increasing in recent years in South Asia. When we talk about violent extremism,
much as we think about guns and wars, we will also have to consider other forms
of violence, such as the use of hate speech, discrimination, xenophobia and
homophobia that we see in the digital space as well.
According to a UNDP report, South Asia has experienced
highest level of violent extremism based on religion in the world. Such
violence needs to be prevented for the sake of peace, security and development
of citizens across South Asia. The majority-minority dichotomy is perniciously
seen across the countries in South Asia. Bangladesh or India for that matter is
no exception. The impact of the legislation, CAA in 2019 had widespread
consequences in Bangladesh. Remember, 12 people were killed in protest against
Modi’s visit to Dhaka earlier this year.
There is no evidence to link the developments in India
vis-à-vis Muslims to the recent violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. As has
been said, the hounding, hunting and harassment of Hindus has been taking place
in Bangladesh for a long time; the dramatic reduction of Hindu population
testifies this assumption. Although, Sheikh Hasina has an India-friendly
approach, the Islamic radicalisation is beyond her grip.
Both governments of India and Bangladesh, as indeed the
civil society groups should work in collaboration to reduce the impact of
radicalisation as well as polarisation of communities. Only in inter-country
harmony and solidarity, peace and security can be preserved and development promoted.
The violence by handful of miscreants should not derail this long-term
perspective on development. The violence of last week is a pointer towards
deterioration of situation in Bangladesh and its repercussion in India. It
should be treated as a writing on the wall and both governments should put
their minds and energies together to arrest this downturn. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
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