By Sanjoy Kumar Barua
Since the evening of November 5, 2024, the Bangladesh Army, along with Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) and local police forces, have launched a violent and targeted crackdown on Hindu-majority areas in Chattogram.
Reports from victims and eyewitnesses in the region indicate that heavily armed soldiers, backed by paramilitary forces and police, have been conducting door-to-door raids in Hindu neighborhoods including Hazarigolli and its surrounding localities.
The security forces are accused of forcibly entering homes, rounding up all male residents, and taking them into custody under unclear circumstances.
In a disturbing escalation of violence, several reports claim that security personnel have also destroyed CCTV cameras to prevent documentation of the atrocities.
The crackdown followed a large-scale protest by Hindus against a Facebook post by a Muslim trader, Osman Mollah. The post, which targeted the Hindu Vaishnavite order, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), contained derogatory remarks, calling for the organization to be declared a terrorist group. Mollah also insulted ISKCON priests and Hindus in general, demanding a ban on the organization.
In response, a group of Hindus gathered outside Mollah’s shop at a shopping center in Hazarigolli, demanding an apology. The situation escalated when the police, responding to distress calls from Mollah’s neighbors, conducted a harsh lathicharge on the protestors. This action angered some Hindus, who retaliated by throwing brickbats at the police.
At least five victims from Chittagong Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), all from the Hindu minority community, have come forward with disturbing accounts of a violent midnight raid allegedly carried out by members of the Bangladesh Army and Islamic extremists.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the victims described the harrowing ordeal in which their homes were forcibly broken into, subjected to brutal torture, and robbed of valuables.
According to the victims, the attackers arrived at their residences in the dead of night, forcibly smashing down doors and windows to gain entry.
The assailants, armed and threatening, then proceeded to assault them physically, with women, children, and elderly individuals among those reportedly targeted.
One victim recounted the terrifying moments: “They came in the middle of the night, broke our doors, and dragged us out. We were beaten, threatened, and had our belongings looted. There was nothing we could do.As a minority we are feeling helpless in Bangladesh.”
Over 200 Hindu men have been arrested in the aftermath of the protest. A Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Manch activist expressed grave concern, saying, “We fear some Hindus have been killed. Reports are emerging of radical Muslims, alongside the army and police, abducting Hindu people. We are in constant fear for our lives.”
Hindus in the port city, led by prominent religious leaders, recently held a massive rally to protest the persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh and to demand stronger protections for their rights.
The rally, where Hindus presented an eight-point charter of demands, ignited protests across Bangladesh. The interim government and Islamic fanatics group, have strongly opposed the demands.
Key demands include a minority protection law, a dedicated Ministry of Minority Affairs with adequate funding, tribunals to prosecute perpetrators of recent attacks on minorities, and compensation and rehabilitation for victims of violence.
Other demands include the construction of places of worship for minorities in all educational institutions, prayer rooms for Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian students in college hostels, the modernization of the Pali and Sanskrit Education Board, upgrading the Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian Welfare Trusts to foundations, and a five-day official holiday for Durga Puja each year.
Recently, calls to ban ISKCON have gained traction in Bangladesh, with several individuals and groups backing the demand.
ISKCON leaders in Dhaka urged Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman to apologize for his public call to ban the organization. In addition, the group “Inqilab Manch” has also called for the prohibition of ISKCON, further escalating tensions.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the prominent Sanatan religious organization, has been accused of involvement in incidents of unrest, acid attacks, and assaults on law enforcement officers in Chittagong’s Hazari Lane, according to local police today.
A police case has been filed against 582 individuals, with 49 arrests made so far. Authorities are also investigating potential political motivations behind the unrest.
Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Deputy Commissioner for Crime and Operations, Roish Uddin, revealed these details during a press briefing at the Dampara Police Lines media center on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
However army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ferdous Ahmed briefed the media on Wednesday that joint forces have arrested 80 individuals in connection with the attack on law enforcement officers and the acid throwing incident at Hazari Lane under Kotwali police station in Chattogram.
Hindus, who represent about 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million population, have traditionally supported Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party.
However, the party has faced growing opposition after violent clashes last month between anti-quota protesters and security forces.
On August 5, a student-led uprising forced Hasina to step down after weeks of protests and violence that resulted in over 600 deaths.
Hasina, 76, fled and took shelter to India, and an interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, was swiftly established to take her place.
Source: Â The Chittagong Hill TractsÂ
