Minority Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh rally to demand protection from attacks.

Chittagong: Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh rally to demand protection from attacks and to free their leaders from false allegations and arrests. 

Drop sedition cases against ISKCON monks and Hindu community leaders. 

Priyadarshi Das | HENB  | Dhaka | Nov 2, 2024:: Tens of thousands of minority Hindus in Bangladesh took to the streets on Friday, demanding protection from the interim government against the growing wave of attacks and harassment they’ve faced as well as the dropping of sedition cases against Hindu community leaders and the monks of International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The rally, which drew around 30,000 participants, was held at a major intersection in Chattogram or Chittagong, with police and soldiers maintaining order in the area. This was not an isolated incident, as protests were reported elsewhere in the country as well.

Hindu groups say thousands of attacks against Hindus have happened since early August when the secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown and Hasina fled the country following a student-led uprising. Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel peace laureate named to lead an interim government after Hasina’s downfall, says those figures have been exaggerated.

Hindus make up about 8% of the country’s nearly 170 million people, while Muslims are about 91%.

The country’s influential minority group Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has said that there have been more than 2,000 attacks on Hindus since Aug. 4, as the interim government has struggled to restore order.

U.N. human rights officials and other rights groups have expressed concern over human rights in the country under Yunus.

Hindus and other minority communities say the interim government hasn’t adequately protected them and that hardline Islamists are becoming increasingly influential since Hasina’s ouster.

Friday’s protest in Chattogram was hastily organised after sedition charges were filed Wednesday against 19 Hindu leaders, including prominent ISKCON priests Chinmayakrishna Das Brahmachari and Leelaraj Das Brahmachari, over an Oct 25 rally in that city. Police arrested two of the leaders, angering Hindus. The charges stem from an incident when a group of rally-goers allegedly placed a saffron flag above the Bangladesh flag on a pillar, which was considered disrespecting the national flag.

Months ago, the issue has reached beyond Bangladesh, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi voicing concern over reports of attacks.

While the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has said it is monitoring Bangladesh’s human rights issues since Hasina’s ouster, U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has condemned what he described as “barbaric” violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in Bangladesh.

In a post on X, he said: “I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos.”

Hindu activists have been staging protest rallies in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere since August to press a set of eight demands including a law to protect minorities, a ministry for minorities and a tribunal to prosecute acts of oppression against minorities. They also seek a five-day holiday for their largest festival, the Durga Puja.

The recent Friday protest in Chittagong, Bangladesh, where tens of thousands of Hindus demanded the interim government drop sedition charges against 19 Hindu leaders, including prominent ISKCON priests, marks a significant turning point. This rally sends a strong message of Hindu retaliation against the Islamist-led interim Bangladesh government, which has been accused of targeting minority people.

On Saturday, various Hindu organisations including ISKCON converged into Bangladesh capital Dhaka in a huge gathering to register their protest against attacks on Hindus and other religious minority groups.

In the meantime, Charuchandra Das Brahmachari, the General Secretary of ISKCON Bangladesh, has strongly denied allegations of being RAW agents, made by Mahamudur Rahaman, editor of Amar Desh newspaper and a supporter of Muhammad Yunus, at a recent press conference in Dhaka Press Club. Rahaman went as far as to label ISKCON a terrorist organization and an agent of RAW (Research and Analytical Wing), India’s international spy agency.

In response to these baseless claims, Brahmachari has urged Rahaman to retract his statement and apologize. If Rahaman fails to comply, ISKCON plans to take legal action against him. This move aims to protect the organization’s reputation and defend its members against harmful accusations.

It’s worth noting that ISKCON, or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is a global spiritual organization founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966. Its purpose is to promote Krishna consciousness and provide a spiritual framework for its members globally including India, US, UK, Germany, Russia, Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh.

…

__Inputs from Associated Press.