At this rate of Islamist persecution, Hindus in Bangladesh may survive another 20 years only

A single day does not pass in Bangladesh when Hindus have not been targeted by the radical Islamists. While 2022 was a horrific year for the Hindus, it is no different in 2023

It seems like it is a crime to be a Hindu in Bangladesh with the persecution of the minorities continuing unabated.

A Hindu businessman Ratan Bose was beaten to death in front of his family by Mohammad Alamgir and his gang in Mohammadpur on February 3. On February 4, Misbah Hosain and Maqbul Hosain kidnapped a 17 year old Hindu girl Pinki Baidya from Mirzapur Union of Srimangal in Moulvibazar. The police are refusing to accept the complaint.

A Hindu woman weeps helplessly as her house is destroyed by the Muslim right-wing regime in Rangpur. https://t.co/dyjfcJBcdD pic.twitter.com/5vuchsh4Wf

— Voice Of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@VoiceOfHindu71) February 15, 2023

On February 6, there were reports that radical Islamists vandalised and looted 14 Temples in Baliadganj. The Islamists tore the pages of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. In yet another heart-breaking incident, a Hindu woman, Gita Biswas started to cry while standing in a long queue. When she began picking up the scattered rice, the vendor snatched the sack from her. On February 14, extremists surrounded the house of Hindu teacher, Pritam Sarkar on charges of blasphemy and demanded his hanging. He is a teacher of the Mosharof Hossain HighSchool in Daudakhandi. On February 15 images of a Hindu woman weeping helplessly went viral as her house was destroyed by Muslims in Rangpur.

And let us bear in mind these are just known incidents of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh reported only in the month of February.

While the year 2022 was a horrific year for the Hindus in Bangladesh, 2023 is proving to be no different.

Hindu businessman Ratan Bose was beaten to death in front of his family by Md Alamgir and his gang. The incident took place in Muhammadpur upazila of Magura district of #Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/nZKwzMn0Rl

— Voice Of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@VoiceOfHindu71) February 3, 2023

The Hindu community has been the target of violent crimes for the past many years with radical Islam rising. There are reports that state that if this trend continues, in around 20 years there will not be a single Hindu left in Bangladesh. The Hindus make up for 9.5 per cent of the population in Bangladesh.

Reports also say that as of January 2015, at least 431,000 people continue to be displaced as a result of violence. Most of them are either Hindus or Buddhists. The report said that a majority of the Hindus and Buddhists who live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region chose not to migrate to India following the 1947 partition. Around 280,000 people have been displaced displaced due to communal violence in this region since 1973.

#Bangladesh 🇧🇩 : Two Muslim youths named Misbah Hossain and Maqbul Hossain of Uttar Pachan village, Mirzapur Union of Srimangal Upazila in Moulvibazar district kidnapped a Hindu minor girl named Pinki Baidya (17) . Police aren’t accepting the kidnapping case. pic.twitter.com/W6mru4OiTT

— Voice Of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@VoiceOfHindu71) February 4, 2023

An official OneIndia spoke with says that these are just known numbers. The number may be much higher as the incidents of violence against Hindus largely go unreported in the rural areas.

In addition to the violent crimes, Hindus have lost 8,990 acres of land only in the year 2021. 35,818 Hindu families were threatened to be evicted from their land, while 572 were forcibly thrown out. The year also saw 39 Hindu women being killed after being raped. 152 Hindu women were forcibly converted to Islam. In all 154 Hindus were killed in 2022 alone.

The radical Islamists have adopted a two-pronged strategy, explains the official cited above. On one hand, they are infiltrating as many Bangladeshi Muslims as possible into India and on the other they are wiping out the Hindus back in their land, the official says. At this rate it is just a matter of time before all the Hindus are wiped out from Bangladesh, he also adds.