Religious minorities in Bangladesh under fire after fall of secular regime

MUMBAI, India – After the secularist prime minister of Bangladesh fled the country, non-Muslims claim they have suffered attacks in the Islamic-majority country.

Around 90 percent of the South Asian nation is Muslim, with 7.95 percent being Hindu, 0.6 percent Buddhist, and just 0.3 percent being Christian – just about 500,000 people in a nation of 170 million.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and fled the country on Monday, headed the Awami League, a secular party which most non-Muslims support.

The protests against the Haina government began in early July with demands from university students to abolish quotas in civil service jobs but grew larger into a broader anti-government movement.

The controversial quota system provided for 30 percent reservations in civil services jobs for the families of veterans who fought the 1971 liberation war, when Bangladesh gained its independence from Pakistan.

The students demanded a merit-based system, deeming the current unfair and biased.

More than 400 people have been reported killed in clashes between government forces and protesters – mostly civilians shot by police.

Hasina had labelled the protesters as criminals to be dealt with harshly, leading to a severe erosion of political trust. When Hasina offered to meet with student leaders on Saturday, however a coordinator refused.

Anti-government sentiment spread rapidly and Sunday marked the deadliest day in Bangladesh’s history of civil unrest, clashes in Dhaka resulted in at least 95 deaths, including 14 police officers, and left hundreds more injured, according to local media outlet Prothom Alo.

On Monday, thousands of protesters defied a military curfew marched towards Gonobhobon, Hasina’s official residence, top defence officials gave her just 45 minutes to pack up and leave.

However, many Hindu and Christian sites and businesses were attacked, due to their perceived support for the Awami League.

India’s Hindu nationalist government is concerned.

“What was particularly worrying was that minorities, their businesses and temples also came under attack at multiple locations. The full extent of this is still not clear,” India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar told the Indian parliament on Tuesday.

Caritas Bangladesh offices based in Khulna, South West Bangladesh, were attacked during the protest.

In a statement, Caritas Bangladesh noted immediately after the announcement of the army that the prime minister had fled, “the law and order in Bangladesh has completely been broken down as law enforcement agencies refrain from their duties for unspecified reason.”

“When on-duty police forces tried to execute the curfew on August 5 in response to the government order and the army personnel were inactive, a different message spread out across the protesters, resulting in a huge clash and chaos between police forces and protesters,” the statement said.

“As a result, around 450 police stations out of a total of 650 across the country have been attacked, causing the death of unspecified police personnel by mob beatings. According to different sources asking anonymity, more than 70 police personnel have been killed on August 5-6. A total of 14 policemen were killed on August 4 due to clashes, with 13 killed in a single clash at the Enayetpur Police Station in Sirajganj,” the statement continued.

The Caritas Bangladesh report said according to national media sources, 232 people have been killed in the violence across the country on August 5-6, in addition to the 328 killed between July 16 and August 4.

“The total death toll in anti-government protests crossed 560 in just 23 days, making it the bloodiest period in the history of Bangladesh’s civil movement,” the statement said.

“With no security measures, many protesters vandalized and looted many private and government owned establishments including the Ganabhaban (the Prime Minister’s residence of Bangladesh), the National Parliamentary Building, residents of various Members of the Parliament (MPs) and previous ruling party (Awami League) leaders, ethnic and religious minorities’ houses across the country,” it continued.

“According to different local, national, and international news media, as well as reports from local communities, more than one hundred houses, religious institutions, and commercial centers belonging to Awami League leaders and religious minorities have been attacked. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported that hundreds of families have been attacked, faced sabotage activities, and received death threats from miscreants. Additionally, over 15 Hindu temples have been vandalized, torched, and looted across 45 districts of the country,” the statement claimed.

Caritas Bangladesh confirmed their regional office in Khulna was attacked on August 4 by more than 100 people.

“According to witnesses of the attack, including the Regional Director of Khulna who were hiding on the first floor of the office, the attackers left after 15-20 minutes. It was later discovered that the attackers left the Caritas premises after one of their leaders informed them that they were not attacking their intended target,” the statement said.

Caritas Bangladesh said the current crisis is causing various kinds of losses. They include:

– Loss of income of the tourism sector mainly in major tourist spots

– Loss of income of people who work and earn on a daily basis in various jobs in informal sector including day laborers, transport workers, rickshaw pullers, small vendors, self-employed, and shop owners and other service providers.

– Loss of income in large and medium scale enterprises which are mostly export-oriented enterprises including textiles, food processing, light engineering, pharmaceuticals, leather and footwear.

– Loss of income of internet-based service providers especially freelancers.

– Farmers and rural agro-based farming households were affected due to the collapse of the domestic supply chain of perishable products including vegetables and fruits.

Caritas Bangladesh also said the ongoing disruption of the academic institutions, resulting cancellation of public and school exams, are deeply concerning.

“The government shut down all schools, colleges, and universities since July 16 as tensions began to mount following the crackdown on student protesters by members of ruling party affiliated groups and law enforcement personnel,” the statement said.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus has been named the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s Interim Government.

Yunus, who was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing microcredit markets, was in Paris when he found out he was chosen for the interim role.

Speaking to young people on Thursday, he asked them to help rebuild the country.

“Bangladesh can be a beautiful country, but we destroyed the possibilities,” he said.

At his installation, Yunus condemned this week’s violence directed against the country’s religious minorities.

“My first word to you is to protect the country from disorder. Protect it from violence so we can follow the path our students have shown us,” he said.