Dr Satyadev Gupta

India is a land of and cradle of ancient living and civilization of Hindus, who have been given different names at different times as Aryans, Aryavartees, and Brahmavartees. Their social and religious virtues are based on “Vasudev Kutumbkam” that is the whole world is a family and “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhina” meaning that the entire world should be happy and peaceful. The Vedic, Jain, or Buddhist teachings preach moral and ethical values. Dharma was considered to be the foundation of a harmonious and righteous society, where individuals were taught the guidelines to live on the principles of honesty integrity and compassion towards all living beings. The Indian faiths believe in Karma philosophy i.e. person’s action in this life will determine their destiny in the next life.

Then why Hindus have faced plunders, atrocities, demolition of temples and religious places to the ground? Indian history reflects plunders of barbarism for centuries together. if you find out the reasons; it is division among the society kingdoms and inclination towards Pacificism “Ahimsa” slogan propagated at different times.

“Ahimsa Parmo Dharma” at the wrong Times with the wrong narratives.

Pacificism was self-defeating. Mahatma Gandhi advocated this principle and was an apostle of this theory of “turning the other cheek” when you get a blow on your cheek. This ragged notion is still inculcating in the minds of our leaders which is reflected in wars, since Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan up to the end of the 20th century of 1947, 1962, 1965, 1971, and thereof. It is not out of context to mention the militant attack on 26th November 2008 when the army and security persons were ready to counter.

October 10, 1946: Bengali Hindus in Noakhali in the south-eastern part of what was then East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) were preparing to worship Goddess Lakshmi. But before the rituals could start, wave upon wave of prejudiced and fanatic Islamists set upon the numerically weaker Hindus and massacred defenceless men, took women hostages and raped them, and forcibly converted thousands to Islam. An estimated 5,000 Hindus, mostly men and boys, were killed. But many more times that number were forcibly converted to Islam by making them eat beef and recite the Kalma.

In a recent parliament session, a member Shri Pawan Kumar Sagar on 29th of November 2024 raised a question about the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh and what steps have been taken by the Government of India, particularly the external affairs minister.

The minister of foreign affairs Dr. Jaishankar has category told that there are records of violence, theft, rape and temple destruction, an attack on a Puja Mandap in Tantibazar, Dhaka and theft at the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira during Durga Puja 2024. Following these attacks and sacrilegious acts in Bangladesh since August 2024. The government of India is taking these incidents very seriously and has keen eyes on every incidence happening there and the Indian High Commissioner was asked to monitor these incidents closely. The External Ministry has assured that every possible action by diplomacy and other means if ever required will be taken.

AGARTALA: Hindu Sangharsh Samity, Agartala, a right-wing organisation, conducted a demonstration a few days back before the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala. The protestors addressed the oppression of minorities in Bangladesh, calling for the release of Iskcon member Chinmoy Das. Numerous Hindu devotees gathered near the Gandhi statue along VIP Road, voicing their opposition to the persecution of Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians in Bangladesh. They urged the Assistant High Commissioner to convey India’s concerns to Bangladesh authorities, warning about potential deterioration in bilateral relations.

“Chinmoy Das has been illegally detained by the interim government in Bangladesh. He has even been deprived of basic needs like food. It is not only illegal but also inhumane. They demanded his immediate release and stood firmly against the ongoing violence targeting minorities in Bangladesh. The demonstrators emphasised how minority Muslim communities live peacefully in India while drawing attention to the contrasting situation in Bangladesh. “We do not harm our Muslim brothers and sisters here in India. Then why are minorities in Bangladesh being targeted? This double standard is unacceptable. Our agitation will persist until the Yunus government frees Chinmoy Das and stops all atrocities,” they said.

Hinduism is the second largest religion in Bangladesh, according to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, approximately 13.1 million people responded that they were Hindus, constituting 7.95% out of the total population of 165.15 million people. In terms of population, Bangladesh is the third-largest Hindu-populated country in the world, after the neighbouring countries of India and Nepal. Hinduism is the second largest religion in 61 out of 64 districts of Bangladesh, but there is no Hindu majority district in Bangladesh.

Division of Hindu population across Bangladesh

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics report, the Khulna Division has the highest decline in the Hindu population of (1.33%) from the 2011 to 2022 period. In 2011, 12.85% of the population of the division were Hindus. This rate has come down to 11.52% in 2022. Among the eight divisions, Khulna has the fourth-highest Hindu population. According to the 2022 census, Sylhet Division has the highest Hindu population of 13.5%, but the ratio was 14.05% in 2011. In Rangpur Division, the Hindu population has decreased from 13.21% in 2011 to 12.98% in 2022. Mymensingh Division has the lowest percentage of people belonging to the Hindu community at (3.92%) as of 2022.

Liberation War and numerous recurring massacres of civilians where rapes were also used as weapons. Active perpetrators of genocide, ethnic cleansing and rapes of Hindus in Bangladesh by the Pakistani Military, Al Badr, Al Sham, East Pakistan Central Peace Committee, Razakars, Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Urdu-speaking Biharis. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Hindus are among those persecuted in Bangladesh, with hundreds of cases of “killings, attempted killings, death threats, assaults, rapes, kidnappings, and attacks on homes, businesses, and places of worship” on religious minorities in 2017. Hindu temples in Bangladesh have also been vandalised. The Pakistani census has found that the Hindu population in East Pakistan declined drastically from 28% in 1941 to 22% in 1951. The 1946 Noakhali massacre, occurring before the partition, and the 1950 East Pakistan riots, which took place after the Partition of Bengal, were among the most severe anti-Hindu riots in the region’s history.

1971 Genocide

Between the 1961 and 1974 censuses, the Hindu population increased by only 300,000, from 9.3 million to 9.6 million, while the Hindu percentage declined from 18.5% to 13.5%. The Hindu population was significantly impacted by the 1964 East Pakistan riots and the 1971 East Pakistan genocide, which primarily targeted Bengali Hindus. An estimated 10 million East Pakistanis sought refuge in India, with 80% being Hindus. Approximately 8 million Hindus fled to various parts of India during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War to escape persecution by Pakistani armies and Islamic militias. After Independence, it was discovered that 1.5 million Hindus remained in India, while the remaining 6.5 million returned to Bangladesh. Additionally, an estimated 3.1 million Hindus who were already residing in Bangladesh chose to remain during the turmoil and survived the atrocities. It is estimated that between 300,000 and 3 million people were killed during the Bangladesh Liberation War, with 300,000 to 400,000 Bengali women being raped, with many of the victims being Hindus.

Even after the decline of the Hindu population in Bangladesh from 13.5% in 1974, just after the independence, Hindus were at around 11.2% of the population in 2001 according to government estimates following the census. However, Hindus accounted for only thirty-two members of the 300-member parliament following the 2001 elections through direct election; this went up to thirty-five following a by-election victory in 2004. Of the 50 seats reserved for women that are directly nominated by the Prime Minister, only four were allotted to Hindus. The political representation is not at all satisfactory and several Hindu advocacy groups in Bangladesh have demanded a return to a communal electorate system as existed during the Pakistan period, to enable a more equitable and proportionate representation in parliament, or a reserved quota since the persecution of Hindus has continued since 1946.

                                       BANGLADESH (2022)

DIVISION HINDU POPULATION TOTAL POPULATION PERCENTAGE (%)

BARISAL 750,177 9,100,104 8.24%

CHITTAGONG 2,196,947 33,202,357 6.61%

DHAKA 2,766,874 44,215,759 6.26%

KHULNA 2,007,502 17,415,924 11.53%

MYMENSINGH 481,742 12,225,449 3.94%

RAJSHAHI 1,159,197 20,353,116 5.70%

RANGPUR 2,290,450 17,610,955 13.01%

SYLHET 1,491,315 11,034,952 13.51%

 Reactions of Some organisation

1946 Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has urged the Government of India to pressure the interim government of Bangladesh to halt the atrocities and cruelty on Hindus and release ISKCON Sant Swami Chinmoy Krishandas illegally detained and jailed. RSS calls on the Government of India to advocate against the atrocities and barbarism committed by Islami extremists, who are fully sponsored by the interim government of Bangladesh to the United Nations Organisation and other global peacekeeping organisations.

On 2nd December Vishva Hindu Parishad held a demonstration against the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh in Delhi and urged the UNO to intervene in the matter and put the pressure on Bangladesh government to stop barbaric atrocities on Hindus.

What the Indian government should do:-

The government of India can press upon the interim Government of Bangladesh by using political, diplomatic, and economic borders and supply strategies to compel the Bangladesh government to choose correct and right pathway for the establishment of peace.

As Islamic extremists and terrorist organisations are planning to cut Chicken Neck, (the corridor connecting North East states) from the rest of India at Siliguri, a narrow strip of land in West Bengal the Indian Government has an excuse to cut Bangladesh at Chittagong district (chicken neck of Bangladesh) in the south and protect its own so-called chicken neck by grabbing Rajshahi and Rangpur in the north of Bangladesh.

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