More than 3,600 attacks on Hindus since 2013 in Bangladesh – WION Team

Hindus protest Durga Puja attacks in Bangladesh (2021).

WIONAt the time of Partition in 1947, Hindus made up roughly 30% of the Bangladesh population. In the 1980s, the Hindu population was 13.5 per cent, according to government figures. In the last four decades, the Hindu population of Bangladesh has decreased from 13.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent.  – WION Team

At least six people were killed and numerous more were injured in attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority during Durga Puja celebrations last week.

In connection with the incident, which reportedly began following a blasphemous remark on social media regarding the Quran, police have detained 450 individuals and filed 71 charges.

This is not, however, the first incidence of communal violence in the Muslim-majority country.

According to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a Bangladeshi human rights organisation, at least 3,600 similar attacks have occurred in Bangladesh since 2013.

Hindus make up fewer than 9% of Bangladesh’s overall population of over 170 million people, with Muslims accounting for 90% of the country’s population.

In the 1980s, the Hindu population was 13.5 per cent, according to government figures.

At the time of Partition in 1947, they were said to make up roughly 30% of the population.

According to Bangladeshi official figures, the Hindu population of Bangladesh has decreased from 13.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent during the last four decades.

The German news website DW cited Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of the nonprofit Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC), as stating, “The purpose of the attacks is to force minorities out of their houses, to minimise the minority population of Bangladesh.”

Hindus in Bangladesh are found in all regions, according to the country’s 2011 Housing and Population Census, with the districts of Khagrachari (16.81%), Magura (17.92%), Bagerhat (18.35%), Narail (20.56%), Thakurgaon (22.56%), Khulna (22.68%), and Moulvibazar (24.59%) having the highest concentration.

There has, however, been a Hindu exodus from Bangladesh.

According to the report, Hindus have been targeted for vandalism and arson in over 550 homes and 440 stores and enterprises during the last eight years.

During the same period, more than 1,670 vandalism and arson assaults on Hindu temples, idols, and places of worship were documented. – WION, 22 October 2021

Muslim mob burn Hindu houses in Bangladesh (2020).

One Response

  1. Pejawar Swami

    Hindus do not have violent mindset, but govt should act now: Pejawar Swamiji – HinduPost Desk – October 24, 2021

    Pejawar Seer Vishwaprasanna Theertha Swamiji on Saturday stated that Hindus do not have a mob and violent mentality unlike people of other religions. The government should act before the situation gets out of hand, he added.

    The seer made the statement in the backdrop of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh and Kashmir in recent times. He said that incidents of violence will take place in the world even if a single word is uttered against certain religions but Hindus do not have that violent mindset. It is not correct to subject Hindus to further harassment thinking that they do nothing and keep quiet, he noted.

    If the government doesn’t want its people to take the law into their hands, they should control the situation. The government should ensure the safety of all in society and not just people of one religion. People of all religions should live in peace, he said.

    The government is there to ensure this. In case the government does not act in this regard there will be communal clashes and violence. Once it breaks out, then it won’t be possible to stop it, he warned.

    Communal issues are discussed at the time of elections and gradually they fade out. Politicians issue statements to get votes from particular castes. But these statements will affect the harmony in the society. This should not happen, he stated.

    He expressed his happiness that granite stones from Doddaballapur region in Karnataka will be laid at the foundation of Sri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on which the temple will be built. “It is a matter of pride and honour for the people of Karnataka,” he said.

    Sri Pejavara Adokshaja Matha is one of the Ashta Mathas belonging to the Dvaita school of philosophy founded by Sri Madhvacharya. Sri Vishwaprasanna Theertha Swamiji is 34th in the lineage of the Pejavara Matha (Mutt), starting from Sri Adhokshaja Tirtharu, who was one of the direct disciples of Sri Madhvacharya. He is the successor of the revered Sri Vishwesha Teertha Seer, a Padma Vibhushana awardee who bid farewell to this material world & left for spiritual abode on December 29, 2019.

    Sri Vishwaprasanna Theertha Swamiji is a BA graduate, yoga exponent and an expert swimmer. He has taught shastras to Kaniyooru Seer Vidyavallabha and received sanyasa Deeksha in 1988, when he was 24. He publishes a monthly magazine ‘Achara Vichara’ and has established a goshala with 2000 cows at Neelavara near Kodavooru, Udupi. A multi-linguist, he is a nature lover. He has also set up the Prahlada Gurukula which provides both Dharmic and general education side by side.

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