Incidents of loot, rape and murder of Hindus and attacks on Hindu temples are not new in Bangladesh, but this time, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from power, attacks on Hindu homes and temples are being made systematically in a premeditated manner on a large scale. Visuals of Hindus being lynched and murdered, and Hindu women being abducted by Islamic fundamentalist mobs are blood-curdling. Lakhs of Hindus have been staging protests in Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh, while Hindus in London, Toronto, Montreal, Washington and other world cities have also come out in protest demanding justice. The interim adviser for Home Affairs Brig. Gen (Retd) Mohammed Sakhawat Hossain on Monday apologised to Hindus with folded hands for atrocities committed on Hindu community by ‘jihadis’.
Shops and homes of Hindus were looted and burnt, while Hindu temples were ransacked and idols broken in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, Barisal, Mymensingh, Narayanganj and Jessore, rendering thousands of Hindus homeless. The adviser for Home Affairs promised to ensure that such targeted attacks on Hindus will not happen in future. Hindu leaders have said, they are not going to leave the country out of fear of Islamic fundamentalists, and will fight for justice. The chief adviser of interim government Mohammed Yunus visited Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka on Tuesday. A day before, he spoke to leaders of Hindu organisations and promised action. Police personnel have now returned to work, days after police stations were attacked and burnt by mobs. India TV correspondent Shoaib Raza and cameraperson Farman visited Dhaka and met Hindus who were subjected to targeted attacks. Homes of many Hindus in Baruapada and Lakhipada localities of Panchgarh district of Banglaesh have been burnt by jihadi mobs. There appears to be a calculated plan by jihadi Islamic outfits to finish off most of the Hindus living in Bangladesh, by taking advantage of the current anarchy that prevails after the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina regime.
Most of the Hindus have been supporters of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, and the former PM had taken strong steps to root out fundamentalists, but now jihadis are out to settle scores. Hindus are still wondering why Sheikh Hasina left the country all of a sudden leaving the minorities to face targeted mayhem. I spoke to several experts on Bangladesh politics. They said, the largest opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party of Khaleda Zia, which had been out of power since 2006, and Islamic extremist party Jamaat-e-Islami, had infiltrated and taken control of the students’ movement. Anti-Hasina YouTubers acted as force multipliers by peddling misinformation about the students’ movement, and the situation went out of control. Sheikh Hasina could not comprehend how to handle the situation with tact. The second mistake that Sheikh Hasina committed was to repose her full trust in Army Chief Gen Waqer Uz Zaman, who happened to be her distant relative. A day before Hasina was forced to resign, Hasina’s Awami League had planned to mobilize on Sunday nearly 25 lakh supporters in Dhaka to counter the movement. This could have been a show of strength and it could have projected Sheikh Hasina as an Iron Lady. But, on Friday, Gen Waqer Uz Zaman reached the Prime Minister’s House and advised Hasina to desist from asking her supporters to come to Dhaka. The Army Chief gave the logic that if Awami League supporters were asked to assemble in Dhaka, the army would not be able to stop BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami from coming out on the streets. Experts revealed that the Army Chief played a double-cross game with the Prime Minister. Soon after Hasina agreed to cancel the Awami League rally, the army allowed BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami supporters to enter Dhaka. On Monday morning, the army chief informed Hasina that thousands of BNP and Jamaat supporters had entered the city from the suburban areas adjoining the airport, and they would soon reach the PM’s House. The army chief advised Hasina to leave Dhaka at the earliest. Awami League leaders believe that the Army Chief played a double-cross game with their leader, and allowed the opposition supporters to converge in Dhaka. This appears to be the reason why senior bureaucrats, the Chief Justice and other top functionaries were removed from their posts after the interim government was formed, but the army chief continues to be in his post.
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