Videos of Bangladesh army soldiers forcibly breaking into Hindu homes on a dark night, dragging out men and women, thrashing them with lathis and then destroying CCTV cameras to hide evidence, are scary and worrying. This brutal crackdown took place soon after Hindus staged protest after a Jamaat-e-Islami supporter businessman posted derogatory remarks against Hindus and ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) on social media.
Army soldiers along with policemen entered the Hindu locality of Hazari Lane, dragged Hindus out of their homes and beat them with lathis mercilessly. This attack was led by the local Deputy Commissioner, a Hindu victim alleged. The victim said, "the interim government of Nobel Prize winning Dr Mohammad Yunus is restorting to dictatorship. On Tuesday night, in Hazari Lane, the Deputy Commissioner led policemen and army soldiers, who dragged Hindus out of their homes and beat them mercilessly with lathis. Hindus had staged a protest against an inflammatory social media post against ISKCON."
Women and children hid themselves in the homes of others to save themselves from army crackdown. One uniformed soldier fired in the air to intimidate Hindus and force them to come out of their hiding places.
In New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson condemned the incident and urged Bangladesh government to take action against extremist elements and ensure safety of Hindus. The MEA spokesperson said, "It is understood that there are extremist elements who are behind such posts and such illegal criminal activities. This is bound to create further tensions in the community."
Atrocities on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh are not new. There has been a spate of such attacks after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was deposed. Even US President-elect Donald Trump, during his election campaign. had expressed concern over the atrocities against Hindus in Bangaldesh. It was a strong statement. After Donald Trump's victory, there is silence in Bangladesh political circles. Some people have started claiming that the wind might blow in a reverse direction now. Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League has got a new life, in the face of atrocities from the new ruling dispensation.
Time will tell what will happen after the regime change in the US, but as far as atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh are concerned, since the army has now entered the scene and is launching a crackdown against Hindus, there is need to raise a loud voice and create worldwide outrage against such atrocities.
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