At the time of Partition in 1947, the Hindu population, in what is now Bangladesh, was
about 31%.4 By 1961, Hindus comprised 19% of the population. By 1974, the Hindu
population had further reduced to 14%. And in 2002, it was estimated that the Hindu
population was only about 9% of the total.5 By comparison, the Muslim population in
India has grown from 10% of the total in 1947, to 13.2% in 2001.6
The plight of Hindus in 2004 was precarious in Bangladesh and is documented in this
report. The violence and atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh today are a tragic
consequence of contemporary politics and the turbulent birth of that country.
Daily assaults on Hindus in Bangladesh in 2004, included murder, widespread gang-rape,
kidnappings, looting, desecration of temples, attacks against religious celebrations and
psychological intimidation. This daily, “low intensity violence” has been described by
Afsan Chowdhury, a Bangladesh journalist, historian, and human rights activist, as a
“silent disaster.”7 Such daily attacks are largely ignored by the regional media, and
consequently, rarely receive mention in the international media. The continuing threat to
Hindus and the violation of their human rights are largely omitted from the annual reports
of established human rights organizations.
Political polarization is often blamed for the attacks against Hindus since the Awami
League (AL), currently the main opposition party in the Bangladesh Parliament, is the
principal beneficiary of Hindu votes. The Bangladesh National Party (BNP) routinely
accuses the AL of being agents of India and therefore regards its Hindu constituency as a
legitimate object of its hostility and violence. The reasons are both political and religious
since BNP leaders assert that Bangladesh’s Islamic character is endangered by Hindu
religious practices. It should be noted that the BNP heads a four-party coalition that
includes two hard-line Islamic fundamentalist parties, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Islami
© Hindu American Foundation 2005 5 United States Edition
Oikya Jote.8 As international observers note with growing alarm, these groups support
Osama bin Laden and proclaim the desire for a Taliban-style regime in Bangladesh. The
support of the ruling BNP of Begum Zia Khaleda and their active sponsorship of Islamic
fundamentalism—and its repercussions on the Hindu minority—are clearly manifest in
Bangladesh today.
The BNP policy of religious discrimination is not new. This report discusses the use of
legislation by the government to systematically disenfranchise Hindus. Briefly, in 1993,
the Home Ministry asked commercial banks to limit the withdrawal of large sums of
money by its Hindu depositors, and these banks were also asked to stop business loans to
the Hindu community. The BNP also initiated surveys of “vested properties,” which
were an alibi to persecute the Hindu minority.9 Seven years ago, Samad wrote: “…the
Hindus are passing through a disaster situation as their lives, property, and peace have all
been made to feel insecure by the lack of security and existing state policies and public
action which are forcing them to exit to another land.”3 Today, the condition of Hindus in
Bangladesh is even more severe. Unless the focus of the United Nations and the nations
of the civilized world turns to Bangladesh, Hindus could very well be completely
ethnically cleansed and cease to exist as a community. This is what has already occurred
to the Hindus in Pakistan, who are now a minuscule minority, with few political rights,
despite constituting almost a quarter of the population at Partition in 1947.
Source : Hindu American Foundation 2005
