Dhaka, Oct 15: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused the authorities of failing to ensure the safety of religious and ethnic minorities, highlighting killings, persecution, attacks on temples and homes, vandalism of idols, land grabs and violence against women across the country since August 2024.
In her message extending Durga Puja greetings to Bangladesh’s Hindu community, Hasina said that the festival was being celebrated amid growing fears over the safety and security of minorities, with the situation drawing concern both within the country and internationally.
“But it is with deep sorrow and pain that I must say that this year’s Durgotsav has come at a time when a deep sense of insecurity prevails among the religious and ethnic minorities of Bangladesh, including the followers of the Sanatan faith,” she said. Citing the wave of violence against minority communities across the country, the former Prime Minister said, “This situation has become a cause of grave concern not only within the country but also internationally.”
Citing the recent brutal murder of Hindu schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty and his entire family in Bangladesh’s Rangpur city, Hasina alleged that no credible and impartial investigation had been conducted into the killings. Instead, she said, a “Joj Mia drama” had been staged to swiftly cover up the incident.
Referring to the mob lynching of another Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, last year, she said the accused, including those who had confessed to the crime, had been granted bail. Hasina also raised the case of prominent Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, who, she said, had been detained for nearly two years on “false charges” and was repeatedly denied the opportunity to see his ailing mother before her death despite submitting several applications.
“His mother passed away longing to see her son one last time. He was granted parole of only five hours for her funeral rites. Chinmoy Prabhu’s tear-soaked face at his mother’s funeral rites today is a symbol of the helplessness and pain of the followers of the Sanatan faith in Bangladesh,” she stated.
Warning that impunity was deepening insecurity among minorities, the former PM questioned the state of law and justice in Bangladesh. “What kind of state system is this, where those accused of murder walk free, yet a religious leader remains in prison year after year for speaking about the rights and security of his own community? Such impunity emboldens communal forces, encourages persecutors and destroys the victims’ trust in the state.
We did not liberate this country to see a situation in which any citizen must live in fear because of their religious identity,” she said. Hasina called on Awami League leaders, activists and supporters, as well as all citizens who believe in the non-communal spirit of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, to stand with the Hindu community and safeguard communal harmony. “Stand beside your Sanatan brothers and sisters. Protect communal harmony. Do not fall for any provocation,” she urged.
IANS