The interim government was formed on 8 August after the fall of the « Sheikh Hasina » government on 5 August in the face of mass protests. In these three days without government, there have been allegations of attacks on minority communities and their various establishments in different parts of the country.
[par Jamil Ahmed, publié le 31/01/2025]
At that time, some from the government side tried to say that some of the minorities who were associated with the previous Awami League government or party were attacked, but ‘no one was attacked as a minority’.
However, the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council had complained of vandalism and looting of houses, businesses and places of worship in at least thirty-nine districts during that period.
Later, under the banner of the anti-discrimination student movement, a ‘human chain and protest march condemning the attack and vandalism on minorities’ was held in Dhaka University.
On Tuesday, 13 August, Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus held a meeting with leaders of minority communities at his residence, where representatives of ISKCON, Puja Udjapan Parishad and Oikya Parishad were also present.
After the Chief Adviser metting, pictures of madrasa students guarding temples and shrines along with tight security during Durga Puja have also been discussed on social media.
Presidium member of Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, Advocate Subrata Choudhury says : « Something is still happening because no urgent measures have been taken in the incidents that have happened to religious minorities. However, the situation became more complicated after Sanatani Jagran Manch rallies started across the country. »
Sanatan Jagran Manch and ISKCON
Sanatan Jagran Manch organized a rally at Laldighi Maidan in Chittagong on 25th October and the chief speaker was Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is now in jail in a sedition case.
Eight demands were made from that rally. In the speech given in the meeting Mr. Das said « If someone tries to overthrow us and live in peace, then this land will become Afghanistan, it will become Syria ». The pictures of Laldighi’s rally and his speech were widely discussed on social media. After that, he also held a rally in Rangpur with the same demand.
After the Chittagong and Rangpur gatherings of the Sanatani Jagran Manch, publicity started on social media that Chinmay Krishna Das was the leader of ISKCON. However, ISKCON said that Mr Das and Sanatani Jagran Manch there’s have no relationship between us.
Under such circumstances, the detective police arrested Chinmoy Krishna Das from Dhaka on Monday. The next day he was arrested and presented in court in a sedition case. At that time many of his followers gathered there. There was a clash with the police over this.
During the conflict, in an alley on the opposite side of the main gate of the court. Lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was brutally killed by the followers of Chinmoy Das. India reacted strongly to this incident. Bangladesh also showed a counter reaction. Mass media campaigns against each other began on social media in both countries.
Leader of Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad Subrata Chowdhury says the government could not handle the incident of Chinmoy Krishna Das properly. Why didn’t the police take any action when the lawyer was killed in Chittagong ?
Implications for Bangladesh-India Relations
After the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, Hindutva parties in India began to react quite aggressively. Anti-ISCON and anti-India campaign also started in Bangladesh.
The statement also came from the Ministry of External Affairs of India. Where it is said : « Where the perpetrators of attacks on minorities are out of touch, a religious leader has been arrested under counter-charges when he spoke out against these injustices. »
« In a counter statement to India’s concern, Bangladesh’s Foreign Office said. Since the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das on certain charges, some quarters have been spreading wrong information about him.
Such an unsubstantiated statement is not only false, but also against the spirit of friendly relations and understanding between the two neighboring countries.
Then on Thursday, the Bangladesh government issued a statement strongly condemning the desecration of the national flag of Bangladesh and the burning of the effigy of Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus in front of the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata.
The issue of Bangladesh also came up in the weekly briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India on Friday. Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, « Our position is very clear. The Interim Government of Bangladesh must take responsibility for the security of all minorities.
Some advisers of Bangladesh government have made various comments referring to India.
They said that it is propaganda by Indian media, they are trying to instigate the issue.
India Unprecedented Tensions Over Bangladesh
Since the political change on 5 August and the interim government assuming office on 8 August, the tension and discomfort in Dhaka-Delhi relations became visible.
As the head of the interim government. After Muhammad Yunus was sworn in, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed him with a post on X. In that post, Modi raised the issue of security of minorities in Bangladesh besides promoting relations.
Then Dr. Yunus called Narendra Modi about the relationship between the two countries. Modi also raised the issue of minorities in that phone conversation. In response, the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh told the Indian Prime Minister that the Indian media should come to Bangladesh and highlight the real truth, not spread false propaganda.
With the passage of time, the public statements, statements and social media posts of the leaders of the two countries, the fact that the ‘golden chapter of relations’ of the two neighboring countries was centered on the government was no longer a secret. After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India.
Since then she has been in Delhi. Bangladesh has made it clear that the obstacles in the way of normalization of relations are the obstacles given by him at different times. However, Delhi has not yet officially informed Dhaka about Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India.
In such a situation Jaishankar’s meeting with Tauhid Hossain was held in New York with the mediation of the United States.
Recently some Hindutva organizations have launched an unprecedented attack on the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala, alleging persecution of minorities. Apart from this, protests were also held near the Bangladesh Mission in Kolkata and Mumbai.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already summoned the Indian High Commission in Dhaka to protest against the attack on the Bangladesh mission. Consular activities including visa services have been stopped at that mission. Protests were held in Dhaka and outside Dhaka in protest against the attack.
All in all, there has been some kind of tension in the relations between these two neighboring South Asian countries. In the meantime, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has addressed the Lok Sabha on the issue of Chinmoy and ISKCON.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi wrote on her X handle : » I will appeal to the central government to intervene in this matter and strongly highlight the issue of ensuring the security of minorities to the government of Bangladesh « .
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed the Assembly demanding the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces in Bangladesh. The Trinamool Congress proposed a similar issue in the Lok Sabha.
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Shubhendu Adhikari, has demanded that Bangladeshis should not be given visas, not given medical treatment and export of all types of goods should be stopped.
In view of this, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has called for a boycott of Indian products.
Also the Indian media has promoted the advantage of taking possession of Chittagong and Rangpur.
Considering these situations, the chief adviser of Bangladesh Dr. Mohammad Yunus called for national unity. He held meetings with political and religious leaders to discuss this solutions.
Tensions are increasing on Bangladesh-India border
Bangladesh-India relations have been strained since 5 August. The relations between the two countries are not very comfortable due to issues such as asylum of the deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in India, floods, border killings, allegations of minority torture, visa closure and later restrictions.
In the meantime, the situation is getting worse due to the barbed wire fencing of India in violation of international border law. So that the border people of the two countries have joined the border guards.
The border guarding forces of the two countries has increased surveillance since the interim government took over. Meanwhile, the governments of the two countries have also responded to various incidents on the border. All in all, the border between the two countries is more tense than ever before.
Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, India has been installing barbed wire fences for border management. It is alleged that electronic devices and sophisticated cameras are being installed for surveillance.
Where barbed wire fencing is not possible due to rivers or other reasons, special devices with high power cameras are being installed for surveillance.
New Excitement About Fencing
Recently, there has been a fresh tension on the border after the Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB) and the Indian Border Guard Force raised objections to the construction of installations along the borders of some districts of Bangladesh.
In particular, the construction of fencing on the Indian side of the border adjacent to Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts was blocked from the Bangladesh side. And the BSF tried to set up a fence on the border at Dahgram of Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat. However, it could not do so in the face of BGB members’ obstacles.
Citizens of the two countries took a position at the Kaliganj border of Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj from the morning of last Saturday (18 January). Locals of the Bangladesh border said that BSF members suddenly gathered 500-600 Indians near the barbed wire fence.
Meanwhile, they also entered into Bangladesh. When this news spread, the Bangladeshis chased the Indians. This leads to conflict between them. Meanwhile, the Indian exploded several cocktails. Besides, BSF personnel threw tear shells. It has been alleged that three Bangladeshis were injured.
BGB Statement
In this regard, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Deputy Director General (Communication) Colonel Mohammad Shariful Islam said, « India wants to build a barbed wire fence on the border in violation of international law. They stopped it after we strongly had objected. Local people also joined it.
It’s known that the Indian authorities have installed a barbed wire fence at 3,271 km of the existing 4,156 km border between Bangladesh and India. At 885 km, barbed wire fences have not been constructed. India’s BSF wants to put up barbed wire fences in those places.
Amid tension over the border issue, Dhaka strongly protested by summoning Indian High Commissioner Prannoy Verma appointed in Dhaka. The Ministry of External Affairs of India summoned Nurul Islam, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh posted in India. He was called to discuss the tense situation between Delhi and Dhaka.
Bangladesh Complaint at UN Forum, spreading false information about persecution of minorities
Every person of Bangladesh has the right to freely practice and express his/her religion regardless of religious identity.
The main objective of the interim government is to ensure the safety and security of every citizen of the country, including members of minority communities. This position was presented on Thursday by the government of Bangladesh at the 17th session of the United Nations Forum on Minorities in Geneva, Switzerland.
Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Tarek Md. Ariful Islam highlighted these things.
Speaking at the forum, some people complained that minorities are being tortured in Bangladesh. Complaints were also made about the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson of Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot.
On behalf of the Bangladesh government, Tarek Md. Ariful Islam said : » Unfortunately, while the people of Bangladesh have created a glorious example of religious harmony, we have seen some nefarious circles publishing fake, false and exaggerated reports about the persecution of minorities. «
Unfortunately, we have seen that happen on this forum as well. Many such disinformation has been exposed in the international press. The government is ready to welcome foreign journalists to visit Bangladesh to observe what is happening in reality. He said that some speakers of this forum have wrongly highlighted the issue of arrest of Chinmoy Das.
He has been arrested on specific charges. Action is being taken against him as per law. He also held a meeting with the diplomats posted in Bangladesh and said that there is propaganda against minority persecution against Bangladesh.
Voice of America survey, minorities in Bangladesh are getting more security than before
According to a Voice of America (VOA) survey, most people in Bangladesh feel that the interim government is able to provide more security to the country’s religious and ethnic minorities than the previous Awami League government.
In this survey conducted at the end of last October, 64.1 percent of the respondents think that the interim government has been able to ensure more security for the minority population than the Awami League government. Only 15.3 percent of respondents felt that minorities are getting less security under the current government than before.17.9 percent of the respondents think that the situation remains unchanged.
À lire également : Minority persecution in Bangladesh : a never ending story