Dhaka: The Awami League on Saturday strongly condemned the ongoing “inhuman persecution” of Hindu community and devastation of their places of worship under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh.
“Attacks on homes of religious minorities, looting, arson, and indiscriminate killings continue unabated — acts that amount to genocide. While these atrocities were previously carried out under the protection of this illegitimate, fascist Yunus regime, it is now the regime itself that is launching attacks on the Hindu community,” read a statement issued by the Awami League party.
Earlier this week, the Durga temple in Dhaka’s Khilkhet area was bulldozed by local authorities as atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh continue to rise at an alarming level following the fall of Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.
“We have witnessed, for the first time, police and government officials physically participating in the demolition of temples and smashing of idols — claiming these were ‘illegal structures’ on railway land. Yet, the Hindu community has been performing religious rituals on this land for generations. Hundreds of other illegal structures remain on the same land — so why destroy only the Hindu temple? It is clear that this unlawful, fascist regime is deliberately empowering militant, ultra-communal ideologies, and turning Hindus and other minorities into stateless people within their own country,” the statement added.
The Awami League revealed a disturbing trend where members of the Hindu community are being falsely framed to justify their persecution.
“Under fabricated charges of ‘blasphemy’, communal attacks are being launched. Recently in Lalmonirhat, a 69-year-old man, Paresh Chandra Shil, was physically assaulted under such a pretext. When his son stepped forward to save him, he too was not spared,” the party mentioned.
The party stressed that if anyone defames a religion, they should be held accountable under the law of the land — not by unlawful mob violence. Such impunity it stated becomes possible only when the government actively protects “extremist militant groups”.
The party also asserted that it is observing with deep alarm as the “fascist Yunus clique”, representative of “ultra-communal militant forces” have unlawfully seized state power and are carrying out systematic repression not only against the Awami League and other progressive, pro-Liberation War political forces but also against Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and other religious minorities under direct state sponsorship.
“The Bangladesh Awami League strongly condemns and categorically protests this unconstitutional and undemocratic regime’s despicable actions. The wave of persecution against Hindus and other religious minorities over the past 10 months reflects a state character that stands in direct contradiction to the ideals, values, and founding principles of Bangladesh,” the party mentioned.
“We defeated the Pakistani occupation forces through a united struggle of people from all ethnicities, religions, and communities. Every citizen in this country is entitled to equal rights. No one has the right — on the basis of race, religion, or ethnicity — to diminish the rights of another. Violating this principle erodes the foundations of justice and equality,” it added.
The Awami League mentioned that day after day, Bangladesh is witnessing the destruction of Hindu homes, land grabs, murders and attempted murders, abductions, abuse of women, and threats that force minorities to leave the country.
Former PM Hasina’s party unequivocally condemned and protested these “disgraceful and dangerous actions” by the “illegal regime” under Yunus.
The Awami League also reaffirmed its commitment to the ongoing political struggle to establish a system where equal opportunity is guaranteed to all, adding that their only goal is to build a future Bangladesh based on equality and the spirit of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
India on Thursday had also strongly condemned the demolition of the Durga Mandir (temple) in Dhaka, criticising the role of Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in allowing the destruction and projecting it as a case of illegal land use.
“We understand that extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka. The interim government, instead of providing security to the temple, projected the episode as a case of illegal land use and allowed the destruction of the temple today,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.
“This has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted. We are dismayed that such incidents continue to recur in Bangladesh. Let me underline that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus, their properties, and their religious institutions,” he stated.
Earlier this week, the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) had highlighted another such incident, terming the vandalization of a Mahastri Manasa and Durga Temple in Dinajpur district by miscreants as a horrifying act of terrorising the Hindu minority community in the country.
“The assailants vandalised the temple, smashed idols, and severed the head of the Goddess Manasa’s idol — an act of deep sacrilege designed to humiliate the minority community and instill fear. As the attackers fled, they threatened local Hindus with further violence, vowing to kill community members at the next opportunity,” read a statement issued by the HRCBM.
“The institutionalised fear prevalent among Bangladesh’s Hindu community — fueled by years of targetted violence, social marginalization, and systemic failures was painfully evident in this case,” it added.
–IANS
