Bangladesh finally admits to atrocities against Hindus, says 88 cases filed for violence against minorities, 70 arrested since fall of Hasina govt

Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary of Muhammad Yunus who is the head of the interim government confirmed the incidents and claimed that around 70 individuals directly involved in such had been arrested.

Days after claiming that the incidents of attacks against the Hindus in Bangladesh were ‘misleading’, the interim government in Bangladesh has acknowledged that around 88 incidents of atrocities against minorities, primarily Hindus, have taken place after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August this year.

Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary of Muhammad Yunus who is the head of the interim government confirmed the incidents and claimed that around 70 individuals directly involved in such had been arrested.

“A total of 88 cases have been filed in incidents related to minorities from August 5 to October 2. The number of cases and arrests is likely to increase as new incidents of violence have also been reported in (northeastern Sunamganj, (central) Gazipur, and other areas,” Alam told the reporters. He also added that in some of the cases, the victim might be belonging to the previous ruling party, the Awami League.

This comes a day after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, during his Bangladesh visit, held several high-profile engagements highlighting India’s support for Dhaka, while also raising New Delhi’s concerns over attacks against religious minorities and their places of worship. He highlighted the regrettable incidents of attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh and sought protection of minorities in the country.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Mohammad Jashim Uddin reaffirmed that the safety and security of the minorities in Bangladesh, regardless of their faith, religion, or ethnicity, was the interim government’s “priority.”

It is crucial to note that the interim government, a week ago, had claimed that the minority Hindu community was more protected in Bangladesh under the rule of the interim government than they were during the administration of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Alam then also claimed that Indian media was running an “industrial scale misinformation campaign” to spread false narratives about minorities being targeted in Bangladesh.

“Hindus are well protected here. They are more protected than they were during Sheikh Hasina’s regime. What we are witnessing here is an industrial scale misinformation campaign originating from India,” Alam was quoted as saying.

Days after this statement, the interim government again blamed India for highlighting the violence and mass killings, in a desperate attempt to deflect attention. Bangladesh’s regime, on 4th December, claimed that India’s “governing elite” was trying to turn the situation beyond the border into an “internal political issue” between the two nations. It subtly implied that the massacre of Hindus at the hands of the jihadis was not something that India, or anyone else, should be concerned about, suggesting it was not a matter of importance.

Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August this year, the minority community in Bangladesh has been targeted and several temples have been destroyed in the area in a major crackdown on Hindus. OpIndia has recorded several such incidents, the details of which can be read here. Further, the arrest of three Hindu priests has sparked a major controversy with Hindus protesting across Bangladesh and India seeking justice for the community which is under evident attack.