154 killed, 333 forced to eat beef, 66 women raped: Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh continues

The international community has very often raised concerns about the persecution of the religious minority in Bangladesh especially the Hindus. The year 2022 was no different for the minorities in Bangladesh

New Delhi, Feb 02: The year 2022 was no different for minority Hindus in Bangladesh as the atrocities against them continued unabated.

Rape, murder, incidents of land grabbing, forcible conversions have become a norm when it comes to committing atrocities on the minority Hindus in Bangladesh.

In the year 2022, 154 Hindus were killed by radical islamists in Bangladesh, while there were 424 cases of attempt to murder. 840 persons were threatened with murder, while 360 were grievously injured in the attacks. Out of this 62 Hindus are still missing, a press statement by Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajot revealed.

In the same year 39 Hindu women were killed by Islamists after being raped, while 55 women were molested and a rape attempt was made. Further the statement signed by Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajot Secretary General Govinda Chandra Pramanik said that 152 Hindu women were forcibly converted to Islam in Bangladesh between January 1 to December 31 2022.

The statement also read that 128 Hindu Temples were set ablaze and vandalised by radical Islamists in Bangladesh in 2022. 481 idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses were also vandalised by miscreants during the same period. The statement also said that in 2022, 40 persons were forced to convert to Islam while 127 Hindus were abducted by miscreants. The statement also said that 333 Hindus were forced to eat beef in Bangladesh the same year. It also said that beef was thrown into 179 religious institutions during the same period. 319 Temples were looted by Islamists, while lands belonging to 51 Hindu Temples were grabbed. The statement further added that 519 houses of Hindus were torched and 891 families were attacked. 8,990 acres of land belonging to Hindu families were grabbed of which 6,500 acres belonged to the Santal and Tripuri tribes.

Further it was stated that 35,818 Hindu families were threatened to be evicted, while 572 were evicted from their ancestral property. While 15,115 Hindu families were threatened to leave the country, 445 were forced out of Bangladesh. Nearly 1.96 lakh Hindu families in Bangladesh had informed the authorities that they were being threatened by the Islamists and feel insecure in their own places.

It must be noted here that in October 2022, there were 35 attacks on the Durga Puja celebrations and Islamists vandalised 91 Durga idols in Bangladesh.

Persecution of Hindus:

The persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh has been taking place for long. There have been numerous reports of violence, discrimination and human rights abuses against the Hindu community in Bangladesh.

Some of the most common forms of persecution include, land grabbing, forced evictions, violence, conversions, rapes and destruction of Hindu Temples.

There have also been reports of radical Islamists promoting anti-Hindu sentiments and using violence and intimidation to achieve their goals.

The government of Bangladesh has been criticised for not doing enough to protect the rights of the minority Hindus. The international community too has expressed concerns about the situation and has called on the government to take strong action and ensure their safety and security of all the minority communities in the country.