Hindus Continue Protest Marches in Bangladesh, Pressure on Indian Borders to Infiltrate

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Aug 11: Lakhs of Hindus in Bangladesh have taken to the streets and thousands of others are converging at the borders with India in a bid to infiltrate into the country in view of the on-going attacks on the community by the members of the majority community since the ouster of the Awami League government headed by the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka and Chittagong, the second-largest city in the country, witnessed lakhs of people attending the massive rallies on Saturday and Sunday as violence against the community continued ignoring the appeals from the interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus.

According to reports, members of the minority communities have faced more than 205 incidents of attacks across 52 districts in the country since the fall of the Hasina government on August 5. Hundreds of Hindus are believed to have been injured in attacks on their homes and businesses.

Several Hindu temples have also been vandalised and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with Ms Hasina’s Awami League party have so far been killed in the violence forcing thousands of Bangladesh Hindus to reach the borders trying to flee into India to escape the violence.

At least 11 Bangladeshi nationals have been apprehended while trying to infiltrate into India through international border in West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalya, the Border Security Force (BSF) said on Sunday.

They are being questioned and would be handed over to state police for further legal action, a spokesperson said.

He said the BSF was in regular touch with its counterpart BGB to sort out mutual issues, especially the prevention of atrocities on Indian nationals and people from minority communities in Bangladesh.

The South Bengal Frontier of the force headquartered in Kolkata said in a statement that its eastern command head, Additional Director General (ADG) Ravi Gandhi, chaired an operational conference on Saturday to review security along the 4,096-km-long India-Bangladesh border “amid the current unrest in Bangladesh” and the upcoming Independence Day on August 15.

It said, “11 Bangladeshi nationals have been apprehended on border while infiltrating into India. Two each were nabbed from West Bengal and Tripura borders while seven were apprehended from Meghalaya border.” They are being questioned and will be handed over to state police for further legal action, he said.

“Detailed deliberations were held to further enhance border control, security and management. Besides, it was decided to continue the close collaboration with counterpart Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB),” he said.

The BSF has been holding flag meetings with the BGB to sort out mutual issues amicably, especially for the prevention of atrocities on Indian nationals and people from minority communities in Bangladesh and counterpart BGB has been responding well, he said. The Union home ministry recently formed a committee under the ADG to look into issues being faced by minorities in Bangladesh.

Demanding special tribunals to expedite trials of those who persecute the minorities, allocation of 10 per cent parliamentary seats for the minorities, and enactment of a minority protection law among others, the Hindu demonstrators’ rally blocked traffic for over three hours at Shahbagh in the central part of Dhaka. Thousands of Muslim protestors, including students, also joined them expressing solidarity for the cause of minorities.

In Chittagong, a huge gathering was held at the historic Cheragi Pahar Square. According to some reports, over seven lakh people attended the rally. Similar demonstrations were held in the US and the UK.

Reaching out to students who are at the forefront of the protests, Mr Yunus, a Nobel laureate, cautioned them not to let their efforts be sabotaged by those seeking to undermine their progress.

“There are many standing by to make your efforts futile. Don’t fail this time,” he said while addressing the students at the Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur city. Mr Yunus unequivocally condemned the attacks on minority communities in the country, calling the acts “heinous.” He urged the students to protect all Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist families from harm.

“Are they not the people of this country? You have been able to save the country; can’t you save some families? You must say — no one can harm them. They are my brothers; we fought together, and we will stay together,” he asserted, underscoring the need for national unity.

Stressing the importance of youth leadership, Yunus said, “This Bangladesh, is now in your hands. You have the power to take it wherever you want. This isn’t a matter of research — it’s a power within you.” He also urged the people of Bangladesh to emulate the way student activist Abu Sayed stood valiantly during the anti-government demonstrations that led to the toppling of the Sheikh Hasina government.

Sayed, 25, of Rangpur’s Begum Rokeya University, was among the first protesters to be killed in police firing on July 16 during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Yunus, who was sworn in on Thursday as the head of the interim government, met Sayed’s family members in Rangpur’s Pirganj upazila.

“We have to stand the way Abu Sayed stood…Abu Sayed’s mother is everyone’s mother. We have to protect her, protect her sisters, protect her brothers. Everyone has to do it together,” 84-yrar old Mr Yunus told reporters after meeting Sayed’s family. Mr Yunus said the responsibility of building a new Bangladesh was on every Bangladeshi.

“We will remember him (Abu Sayed) through this. Therefore, we should ensure that we do the work (needed),” he said. “Abu Sayed is no longer a member of just one family. He is the child of all families in Bangladesh. The children who will grow up and attend school and college will know about Abu Sayed and will say to themselves, ‘I too will fight for justice.’ Abu Sayed is now in every home,” Yunus said.

Thousands of Hindu agitators, including students, blocked the Shahbagh intersection for the second consecutive day protesting attacks on their homes, shops, and temples in various parts of the country. They shouted slogans such as “Save the Hindus,” “Why are my temples and homes being looted? We want answers,” “Hindu persecution in independent Bangladesh, it will not continue,” “Religion is for individuals, the state is for everyone,” and “Ensure the safety of Hindus.”

In the wake of the resignation by the chief justice of Bangladesh Obaidul Hassan under pressure from the protesting students demanding a revamp of the judiciary, five more Supreme Court judges quit their posts. The 65-year-old top judge revealed his decision around 1 pm on Saturday after protesters of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement gathered at the apex court premises.

The students had issued an ultimatum to him and the judges of the Appellate Division to resign by 1 pm “I feel it is necessary to share a special news with you. Our chief justice resigned a few minutes back. His resignation letter has already reached the law ministry,” law adviser, equivalent to the minister of the newly-installed interim government, Prof Asif Nazrul said.