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Days after a student-led uprising ousted Sheikh Hasina from power, the minority (read Hindus) people living in the Bangladesh were found to be making a beeline at the borders to cross over to India in the wake of alleged attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
Recently, while expressing concern over the security of minorities in the Muslim-majority Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar pointed out that in multiple locations the minorities, their businesses and temples have come under attack. He said that India was monitoring the situation and was in regular touch with authorities in Dhaka.
There are an estimated 19,000 Indian nationals in Bangladesh of whom about 9,000 are students. A bulk of the students have already returned to India in the month of July, the minister informed the Rajya Sabha.
Detailing about the evolving situation in the neighbouring country, Jaishankar also said: "It is our expectation that the host government will provide the required security protections to the Indian commissions in Bangladesh."
Amid reports of Muslim clerics and community leaders giving protection to temples, Jaishankar welcomed reports of initiatives by various groups and organisations to ensure minorities’ protection and well-being. But hastened to add, "will naturally remain deeply concerned till law and order is visibly restored. Our border guarding forces have also been instructed to be exceptionally alert in view of this complex situation."
Against this backdrop, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted a five-member panel to monitor situation in the India-Bangladesh borders.
'Rumours' about attacks on Hindus
In a message posted on platform X, Rumour Scanner, an independent fact-checking organisation in Bangladesh said that in the last four days it has identified at least 20 rumours spread by Indian accounts related to attack on minorities in Bangladesh.
The Indian fact-checker and co-founder of AltNews Mohammed Zubair has also been debunking fake reports and videos circulated by right-wingers in India.
What Human Rights Watch has to say
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Soon after Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and left the country, tens of thousands of Bangladeshis celebrated the end of her repressive rule. In some places, however, celebrations turned violent, with hundreds killed or injured as demonstrators sought reprisals against those perceived to have supported Hasina’s government.
Rioters burned down historical structures and targeted members of Hasina’s Awami League party. In several districts around the country, members of the Hindu community, which is generally considered to have largely backed the Awami League, were violently attacked, their homes torched, temples vandalized, and shops looted. There were also reports of attacks against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and ethnic minorities, the HRW said in a statement.
A Hindu businessman in the city of Tangail told Human Rights Watch that “while the crowd was celebrating Hasina’s fall, some crowd members suddenly started attacking the businesses nearby, including my shop.” An Awami League politician in Jessore said that “soon after the news spread in my neighborhood that Sheikh Hasina had fled the country, our businesses and houses were targeted by rioters. They were venting their anger by chanting against Sheikh Hasina and Awami League leaders.”
In many places, Muslim clerics, students, and community leaders came out to protect Hindu temples and Christian churches, while political leaders, as well as student protest organizers, called for calm.
Rioters have frequently targeted and attacked members of the police, who are widely despised for years of rampant human rights abuses, including during the protest that led to Hasina’s resignation. Mohammad Mainul Islam, the police chief, publicly apologized for “unprofessional officers” who “did not follow the accepted principles of applying force, and violated human rights.” He has pledged accountability.
Muhammad Yunus who heads the interim government has urged Bangladeshis to refrain from reprisals and violence. “Violence is our enemy,” he said. “Be calm and get ready to build the country.”
The HRW affirmed that authorities should ensure minorities are protected and the rule of law respected.
They also need to ensure that the police and other law enforcement agencies do not escalate or contribute to the violence, it said.
The interim government should take up the United Nations’ offer to establish an independent investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible for past human rights violations as well as violations during the recent violence, which will be crucial to rebuilding faith in Bangladesh’s justice system, HRW added.