Washington, Dec 29 (IANS) A leading global advocacy organisation, Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), has written to members of the United States Congress drawing attention to escalating violence and intimidation targeting Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
The organisation revealed that compared to the previous year of rising violence, the scale of “terror” unleashed on minorities since mid-December has been staggering across the South Asian nation.
“On December 18th, a 27-year-old Hindu garment worker, Dipu Chandra Das, was mob-lynched in Mymensingh after allegations of ‘blasphemy,’ and his body was hung up on a tree, beaten and set on fire in a publicly filmed spectacle. Further reporting indicates Bangladeshi authorities found no evidence supporting the blasphemy claim. Footage also shows that the Bangladeshi police themselves handed Das over to the mob, highlighting the institutional bias against minorities,” the letter detailed, citing various media reports.
“The next day in Khulna, a poor Hindu rickshaw puller, Gobinda Biswas, was publicly attacked and beaten by a mob who deemed him an agent of India for wearing a red thread on his wrist – a sacred symbol commonly used by Hindus. This is exactly how minority persecution spreads: a rumour, a crowd, a public killing, and fear that silences entire communities, makes them scared to even step out of their houses or to go to work like both Dipu and Gobinda were. Hindu houses and villages have been set on fire,” it added.
According to CoHNA, widespread attacks on local media in Bangladesh have led to massive under-reporting of violence in the country. Since the political upheaval of August 2024 and the instability following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, several human rights reports warned about cycles of mob violence, disinformation, and failures to protect Hindu and other minority communities in Bangladesh.
The group stated that Bangladeshi Hindu leaders who attempt to organise or assert their rights are targeted by the state. It cited the case of prominent Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, and spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot, held in prison since November 25, 2024, on “trumped-up charges” and denied basic facilities like bail.
CoHNA called on the US Congress members to publicly condemn the lynching and the broader pattern of violence targeting religious minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Ahmadiyya communities. Additionally, the organisation urged the members to press the US Department of State to issue a clear, public call for accountability and minority protection, and to raise this directly with Dhaka through diplomatic channels. It further appealed to the Congressional leaders to call on Yunus and his interim government authorities to take specific, measurable steps to prevent further abuse of minorities across Bangladesh.
–IANS
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