Tithi Sarkar: A Hindu victim of the Cyber Security Act in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh: Hindu student is sentenced to five years in jail over blasphemy charges.

Shitanshu Guha | HENB | New York | May 21, 2024:: Hindu College student Tithi Sarkar has been sentenced to five years in prison for insulting Islam. Jamuna TV reported on May 13, 2024, that Tithi made derogatory comments about the Prophet Muhammad on social media. New Age reported on October 27, 2020, that Tithi Sarkar, a third-year student in the Zoology Department at Jagannath University, was suspended for making comments about Islam and Muhammad. Tithi, a former editor of the University Rights Council and convener of the World Hindu Struggle Council, claimed that her Facebook account was hacked and filed a general diary (GD) at the police station regarding the matter. She was expelled from Jagannath University in October. Earlier, students had protested against Tithi. On May 13, 2024, Banglanews24 reported that Dhaka Cyber Tribunal Judge Zulfiqar Hayat sentenced the expelled Jagannath University student Tithi Sarkar to five years in prison. However, the court stipulated a set of rules, following which Tithi would not have to go to jail.

The Daily Star reported on January 4, 2023, that a Hindu youth named Rakesh Roy was sentenced to seven years in prison for blasphemy. On February 12, the same year, a court in Rangpur sentenced another Hindu youth, Paritosh Sarkar, to four different prison terms: one year, two years, three years, and five years, totaling eleven years. The court ordered that all sentences run concurrently, meaning Paritosh would serve five years. Jaijaidin reported on May 15, 2024, that a man named Badal Banik was beaten by a mob in Feni for insulting the Prophet. Shahidul Islam Chowdhury, the Officer-in-Charge of Feni Model Police Station, said that the police rescued Badal from the mob’s wrath and took him into custody. He is undergoing treatment at the hospital. Necessary legal action is being prepared following an investigation. However, Badal claimed that he did not insult the Prophet and that he was targeted due to previous enmity.

Nayadiganta reported on May 15, 2024, that Cumilla University (CuU) student Swapnil Mukherjee has been temporarily suspended on the recommendation of the proctorial body for insulting the Prophet and Islam. Acting Proctor Kazi Omar Siddiqui confirmed this to the media, stating that preliminary investigations proved the allegations of blasphemy. Students protested against Swapnil with human chains and demonstrations. Amar Sangbad Media reported on May 2, 2024, that two Jagannath University students, Kawing Kein and Edison Dewan, were accused of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. Edison Dewan, a student in the Marketing Department, shared a video on a Facebook page named Buddhist Provard, where a cleric made derogatory remarks against Buddha. Kawing Kein commented on it using the name Muhammad, and Edison reacted with laughter. Kawing Kein claimed that he did not insult the Prophet, stating that he used the name Muhammad because he thought the cleric’s name was Muhammad, as Muslims often write Muhammad before their names.

The Daily Star reported on April 29, 2024, about the arrest of a Hindu youth for writing Lalon’s song on Facebook. The police released him after obtaining a bond following protests from the elite community. Weekly Blitz reported on May 5, 2024, that Sharia Bank funds in Bangladesh are being used for love jihad. The Vorer Kagoj newspaper headlined: “Unity Council and Puja Council Concerned: Love Traps for Converting Hindu Women.” On April 10, Video reported that a madrasa teacher named Faisal Karim Reza was arrested for vandalizing idols at a Kali temple of Sanatan followers in Bogura. Somoy TV reported on April 27, 2024, that cricketers refused to play under a female umpire in the Dhaka Premier League.

These incidents have recently appeared in the media. Are all these incidents interconnected, or are they isolated incidents according to the administration or leaders? Under the Digital Security Act or Cyber Security Act, hundreds of Hindu students and teachers in Bangladesh are suffering from social and state retaliation, some serving prison sentences, some detained without trial, some on the run, or sentenced. It is worth noting that Hindus in Bangladesh never insult Islam or Muhammad. They already face humiliation, oppression, and fear. They know that insulting Islam or Muhammad ensures death or severe torture. Does anyone want to invite trouble? The reality is that a certain group often uses this weapon against Hindus. The administration and the state machinery remain silent or do not take action.

Hindus in Bangladesh do not throw stones at mosques, yet attacks on temples and idol-breaking incidents are common. Clerics in their sermons continue to make enticing falsehoods about Hindu deities more than explaining the greatness of Islam. No one is watching! The Digital Security Act or Cyber Security Act is being used against Hindus like a blasphemy law. Clerics are not being caught. Only the majority in Bangladesh have religious sentiments, while others do not, or their feelings have become numb. The question arises, is religion so fragile that the entire administration has to jump in based on what a teenage girl, Tithi Sarkar, said? Many speak against Jesus in Western countries. Hindus in India speak against their deities. Do they have no feelings? All the feelings are in Bangladesh’s majority? Are Hindus in a state of ‘let go, mom, I need to cry to live’ because of these sentiments? There seems to be no immediate solution to this problem.