Bangladesh is witnessing one of the most consequential elections in its history which is set to determine the political future of the country. Will the new government bring in law & order stability, political transparency and economic growth to the country that is entangled in a deep political crisis and law & order chaos? The answer is still an enigma. However, the Hindu associations and the human rights groups based out of the United States have flagged serious concerns regarding the precarious and deteriorating state of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.
A Congressional briefing held at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington DC, highlighted the violent and inhuman atrocities committed by the radical groups of Bangladesh, targeting the Hindu community and other minority groups. The Congressional briefing was organised by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) and the Hindu Action along with other human rights groups. The congressional briefing took place just a few days before the Bangladesh national elections scheduled for February 12. As Bangladesh is at a critical juncture in its political history, the atrocities on the minority Hindu community are not fading.
Amidst a deep security crisis where there is no protection for the minority rights, Bangladesh polls are being undertaken. The reports presented by the Hindu groups of the United States, is a culmination of strong and ground testimonials collected from the victims’ bystanders or eye witnesses, human rights experts and other diaspora activists who have a firm understanding of the painful reality encountered by the minority community of Bangladesh. During the Congressional briefing, the speakers reiterated that since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina regime and the takeover of the country’s administration by the interim administration under its Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, there has been “persecution and institutional failure” in Bangladesh, to which the minority Hindu community are the key victims.
An atmosphere of fear and violence persists in Bangladesh
The report curated by the rights based groups of the United States assert that an atmosphere of fear and violence still persists in Bangladesh, as the country goes for polls. The victims from the minority Hindu community who have survived the atrocities of the radical Islamic groups and other journalists who are aware of the ground reality reiterate the insecure, unstable and threatening situation prevailing in Bangladesh. During the Congressional briefing, a wide range of testimonials were presented where the survivors explained their personal experiences on facing coordinated threat and hostility.
The member of the Coalition of Hindus of North America(CoHNA), Sudha Jagannathan, exclaimed that ground reports and first-hand experiences had to be collected in order to gain awareness about the prevailing scenario in Bangladesh. Instead, if the Hindu community resorts to silence, the crisis will only deepen and a strong solution to protect the Hindu lives cannot be found out. One of the eye witnesses explained that his family’s hospital was taken over by the Islmaist groups by force and threat and they celebrated the episode as the minority Hindu community stood helpless.
Hindus will not survive another decade in Bangladesh
As per the US rights groups report, the eye witness further explained that given the insecure situation sustaining in Bangladesh it is difficult for the Hindus to survive another decade in the country. The Hindu community in Bangladesh is facing severe displacement and forceful or violent erasure of their cultural and ethnic identity. Thus, in the congressional briefing, the US lawmakers called on the Congress and the State Department of the United States to take concrete action against the atrocities in Bangladesh.
They demanded public condemnation of the violence in Bangladesh, holding formal hearings and escalating international pressure on the government of Bangladesh to protect the minority rights. The US lawmakers also reiterated to designate Bangladesh as a “Country of Particular Concern” as the attacks on the minority Hindu community spikes. They also urged to impose targeted sanctions on Bangladesh, to make the government in Dhaka accountable for the crimes against minorities soaring in the country.
As Bangladesh stands on the brink of its elections, concerns are high, political trust is deficit and minority Hindu rights are dwindling. US Representative Suhas Subramanyam also raised concerns about the broader political atmosphere prevailing in Bangladesh and asserted that there are apprehensions regarding the “free and fair” nature of elections in the country. Awami League, the political party of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is barred from contesting the elections. Will the new government and its transparent policies assure a ray of hope for the minority rights and lives in Bangladesh and will the Hindu community be protected, the answer is still a dilemma. Only, the future political course of Bangladesh will determine it.
