Manindrakumar Nath, Acting General Secretary of 'Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad', can talk about Hindu-oppression in the same tone. In his words, every time the government has changed in Bangladesh, the minorities have been targeted before and after. This is the beginning of history. We got nothing but assurances. The Sahabuddin Chuppu Commission report on attacks on minorities in 2001 was also not implemented. Terrible situation.'
But if thrashing is a 'tradition', then how come lakhs of people gathered at Laldighi square on Friday? According to informed sources, there has never been such a large gathering of minorities in the whole of Bangladesh in recent times. Explaining this huge gathering, Chinmaykrishna said, 'Murder-rape-robbery, extortion, abduction, burning of houses or attacks on temples and markets have happened many times. In the last 53 years, there has been no trial of Hindu torture or murder-rape in this country. But this time Hindus are being selectively removed from jobs, which has not happened in the last 53 years. So many Hindus have taken the path because their lives are in danger.' Chinmaykrishna claimed that the saints and saints of all communities have united in the fear of endangering the tradition and history of Bangladesh in a culture without justice. In his words, 'we will leave after seeing the end. A short life like the heroic Abhimanyu is better than a long life like Bhishma, the grandfather of the Mahabharata.'
Minorities associated with various livelihoods from Chittagong and its surrounding 15 upazilas joined the rally at Laldighi on Friday. Slogans rose from the rally—'I will not leave my land, my mother, Bengali', or 'Leave Bengali in words? Is Bangla your father and grandfather!' If the 8-point demands like formation of minority torture tribunal, punishment of the guilty, adequate compensation to the victims are not met, a long march towards Dhaka, more stringent measures were warned from the rally. According to Chinmaykrishna, 93 police SIs under training have been removed from service just because of their minority identity. Hindus are being selectively identified in Veterinary and Chittagong University. We will not be silent.'
Just before the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 and several days after, there were reports from Bangladesh that Hindu teachers in that country were being pressured to resign. The number was said to be at least 50 in September. Many claim that the situation has not changed much even after the interim government came. Cope this time the police. Allegedly, efforts are being made to Islamize the police force.
According to sources, 252 SIs out of 704 of the 40th Cadet-2023 batch undergoing training at Sarada Police Academy in Rajshahi were dismissed last week citing sudden indiscipline. Allegedly, they questioned the quality of the academy's breakfast. Out of these 252 persons, the names and numbers of 93 persons have been obtained from special sources, of whom two are Christians and two are Buddhists – the rest are all Hindus. For the 'crime' of making noise in the class, on 21 and 24 October, another 59 people of the same batch have been punished! Sources claim that all those who got jobs got appointment letters during the Awami League government. All of them were nearing the end of their training phase.
In an interview with the BBC last month, Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus, the head of the interim government, was heard to say about the persecution of minorities: Not all true. And apart from that, all these torture incidents are not communal, but political.' But why? Bangladesh wanted this 'independence'? Chinmaykrishna said to 'Ai Samyam' on the phone, “We saw the student movement as a beacon of change, which took all the parties on the road.
I thought, this time there will definitely be a change. I had a lot of hope for Muhammad Yunus to play a positive role in the interests of minorities. But I got nothing but assurances. Among our eight-point demand, the minority commission that is demanded, can be implemented in the afternoon with a notification in the morning! Couldn't a minority ministry have been created?'