Attacks on the Hindus in Bangladesh increase in intensity during Hindu festivals every year. Given that the country is moving towards its next general elections, it was only to be expected that some in the Muslim majority would decide to put on a show of power, making it clear who calls the shots in this Islamic country. Incidents of random attacks on Hindu temples and desecration of the idols of their deities started to occur in the last ten days of September, but it takes a convincing excuse to incite a planned mob attack on defenseless religious minorities, and charges of “blasphemy” are the most tried and tested excuse at the Muslim mobs’ disposal. It emboldens them to unleash unrestrained violence against and plunder of nonbelievers’ sacred sites and property in Pakistan, India, and parts of the Western world. Bangladesh is no exception, either.
Quickly, a Facebook rumor claiming that the Quran was placed at the feet of an idol of a Hindu deity in a Durga Puja pandal in Comilla went viral. The General Secretary of Cumilla Mahanagar Puja Udjapon Committee, Shibu Prasad Dutta, stated that someone had deliberately placed a copy of the Quran at a Durga Puja pandal in the early hours, when no one was watching, in order to trigger communal clashes in the area. The authenticity of the post has yet to be confirmed, and it has yet to be investigated if this was done purposely by some miscreants in order to stoke communal unrest.
Nonetheless, organized mobs of enraged Muslims headed for the Hindus in their areas. Visuals from the spots show murderous mobs pelting stones at Durga Puja pandals, vandalizing them and pushing a makeshift pandal down a waterbody in Chandpur, Bangladesh. Crowds of brutal Muslims could be heard demanding that the Hindu ISKCON temple at Chandpur be set on fire. Soon the tension extended to other parts of the country, and reports of Muslim mobs demolishing Durga Puja pandals started pouring in from other parts of the Chittagong division. A local Kali temple was also pillaged. Reportedly, nine pandals were wrecked in Comilla; idols of the deity were torn down and vandalized in Cox’s Bazar as well. The Sri Sri Lakhsmi Narayan Jio Thakur temple at Hajigunj, Chandpara was not spared, either.
One could only hope that the attacks were limited to the temples, makeshift pandals and the idols of the deities, and that humans were spared. But that would be wishful thinking in this part of the world. The game of idol desecration soon transformed into a full-blown anti-Hindu pogrom in various regions. As per Bangladesh Jatio Hindu Mohajote (BJHM), a committee of the minorities in Bangladesh, mobs of hundreds of Muslims stormed into Hindu villages in Noakhali’s Hatiya. 150 Hindu homes were invaded and looted by such mobs in Shilpara Cox’s Bazar. A temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali in the neighborhood of Masterpara was also raided and burned down.
Videos have emerged on social media showing a mob of enraged Muslims attacking Hindu families in Chandpur as well. Women from marginalized areas always become the first victims in such riots, for obvious reasons; the trend was no different here, either. At least two Hindus have been reported dead, while some reports suggest three; we have no access to the unpublished figures.
Manik Saha, one of the deceased, was hacked to death while he was guarding a Durga Puja arrangement. Considering the fact that attacks on the Hindu festival were reported beginning in the end of September, the state administration should have provided security to the country’s most vulnerable community. But the government failed to take any advance safety measures. Manik, the publicity secretary of Chandpur district branch of Bangladesh National Hindu Youth Grand Alliance, therefore had to step in as a guard of the prayer venue, only to be killed by the fanatics. Several others sustained serious injuries.
The Bangladesh Hindu Unity Council has appealed to the government to provide immediate security so that the Hindus can celebrate their most significant festival; however, according to recent updates, the Hindus are being forced to perform the immersion of the goddess (end of rituals) on the eighth day instead of the tenth, as it is ritualistically done.
“I personally don’t believe [a Hindu person] can gather the courage to do it. Let’s see. Now we are trying to keep everything under control. We will find out the facts,” said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, speaking to bdnews24.com. He also promised to “bring the perpetrators to justice,” but the track record of Bangladesh has not been very impressive when it comes to punishing Muslim rioters attacking Hindus.
This is not the first time a Hindu festival was turned into a black day in the Islamic republic. In 1946, the infamous Noakhali riots were carried out on the day of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. The Sitakunda massacre took place on Shiv Ratri, another Hindu festival. There are several other such instances of bloodshed, and the 2021 Durga Puja is just another episode in this sequence. It is a cruel endeavor, designed to sow terror in the hearts of the Hindus and make them shake with fear every time one of their festivals approaches: they must not celebrate their “lesser gods.”
Boycott Turkey says
This is a nazi like program on Hindus in Bangladesh but no word about this on the media
Oskar says
Non-Muslims are targeted all over the world, kafirophobia is on the rise. The dictator of Turkey, Erdogan, who and whose government constantly attacks Armenians with the ugliest slanders, also attacks Hindus and other gayri-Muslimin (non-Muslims) with his state sponsored media. And, yet there are no words from the media about these attacks.
Boycott Turkey says
True Oskar TRT media is Erdogans mouth peice it should be deplatformed for denying the Armenian Genocide and advocating racism and genocide towards Armenians Greeks Hindus and Jews but seems those media social media giants think it’s ok and only target sites like jihadwatch
Oskar says
Thanks Boycott Turkey and John Smith. Erdogan for now is getting a free passage whatever evil he does. But his end will be fearsome, end of the tyrants and barbarians will be very fearsome, as the Holy Bible teaches us, the nation of anti-Christ will be defeated, and Constantine XI will return fast as lightening and will lead us to rebuild our ancestors’ once Great Byzantine Empire, that will save the world from this evil disease.
Infidel says
Very true! In the meantime, this ?hole of a country manages to pass off as a poverty stricken, helpless country depending on alms from the rest of the world, even while they unleash pogroms such as these against their minorities
Boycott Turkey says
True infidel it really pisses me off when the media passes countries like Bangladesh Pakistan as poor stricken countries that need aid while they genocide non Muslims Hindus bhuddist Sikhs Christians those countries should be sanctioned for there human right abuses but instead are given more money
john smith says
True Boycott and Oskar,
the media have now become our enemy.
KASHYAP says
Brutality is the identity of most Muslims are Muslims where ever they are. Un fortunate part of this “jihad” is not quelled by sane humans.
rp says
In One village Muslims raped whole family of ,from grandmother, mother , wifes , daughters and even 10 year old girl.Men were told to watch.
Yet no news on that one.Man who is trying to help can’t do anything ,since he is also under watch. I can’t help him since money has to go via Bangladesh bank,which is monitored ??? I am so angry and mad???’
Infidel says
rp
Is this the story?
https://www.opindia.com/2021/10/bangladesh-blogger-reveals-gang-rape-of-entire-hindu-family-by-islamists/
rp says
Hi Yes it is , I have few pictures and story confirmed, they are repeating same in other villages too.However since villages are in tribal area not much gets covered by media.