The Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajot, a major alliance of 23 religious bodies, said on Tuesday that 278 Hindu families have been the victims of critical violence and vandalism in 48 districts since August 5 when Sheikh Hasina quit as Prime Minister.
BJHM compiled comprehensive data of the violent incidents against the Hindu community from August 5 to August 12, revealing there is continued fear amongst them even after being here for so many decades. The alliance, which claimed to be "politically neutral" in raising issues related to the Hindu community's rights, placed seven key demands before the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, seeking their immediate actions at this juncture when the country was going through a tumultuous phase.
BJHM spokesperson and executive secretary Palash Kanti Dey said the attacks—from vandalism and looting to arson and land grabbing—were not only against the persons themselves but an attack on Hinduism as such. The latest incidents have emerged, Dey said at a press conference in Dhaka at the National Press Club, against the backdrop of a changing political environment.
Their demands include a full judicial enquiry into the communal violence, a Minority Protection Act and Commission, repair and restoration of damaged Hindu temples and homes at public expense, the legal process to punish the perpetrators with a publicly available investigation report, comprehensive review of minority persecution since the year 2000, a three-day holiday for Durga Puja festival, and creation of a Minority Ministry.
Expressing his exasperation, BJHM President Prabhas Chandra Roy said that Hindus have faced recurrent attacks during transitions of governments, with a recent spurt in incidents, and the community wants safety and its rights in the country.
Earlier, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus visited the Dhakeshwari National Temple of Dhaka and reiterated his commitment to the human rights and freedom of speech movements. Yunus pledged equal rights to the community, asking them to have patience since any shortcomings would be duly considered.
Accompanied by advisors to legal and religious affairs, Asif Nazrul and A.F.M. Khalid Hossain respectively, Yunus added that there was a reason to reform the institutional system that perpetuates such violence.
The attacks on minorities have been condemned by the religious affairs advisor, Hossain, as the handiwork of "miscreants," and he has promised action by the interim government on Monday. He added that a list of the affected properties was being prepared and financial aid would be provided to the victims.
The interim government, since 8 August, is headed by Muhammad Yunus, and it faces some serious challenges against the backdrop of unabated violence. On Saturday, tens of thousands of Hindus demonstrated in a mass protest rally in Chittagong demanding protection and equal rights.
The Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad dispatched an open letter to Yunus, voicing the deepest concern over "unprecedented violence" against minorities. President Nirmal Rosario drew attention to the precarious situation of things like nocturnal vigilance by communities to save houses and places of worship.
It has elaborated how Hindu families all over the country have been passing their days in a situation of fear, anxiety, and hardship with a number of temple attacks and murders. The Bangladesh Hindu Jagran Mancha has also organized protests against the recent acts of vandalism, arson, and violence perpetrated on the Hindu community.
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