The majority of attacks against minorities in Bangladesh that have taken place since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster were “not communally motivated – rather, they were political in nature”, according to a police report.
This happened after the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported that minorities in Bangladesh faced 1,769 incidents of communal violence and vandalism, the Daily Star reported.
Among these incidents of communal violence against minorities reported in Bangladesh since August 4, 2024, the police registered 62 cases and arrested at least 35 people based on the investigation results, according to the report.
The police report said most attacks on minorities in Bangladesh were politically rather than communally motivated, with investigations confirming that 1,234 incidents were political and only 20 communal. Furthermore, the report said that at least 161 allegations of attacks were false, while the Council reported that 1,452 incidents, or 82.8% of the total, occurred on August 5, 2024, the day Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power, the Star daily reported.
The report states that 53 complaints were filed and 65 arrests were made. In total, since August 4, 115 complaints of community attacks have been registered, leading to the arrest of at least 100 people.
The caretaker government has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on communal violence.
“The government also announced that it would compensate the victims. The interim government attaches the utmost importance to the establishment of human rights regardless of creed, color, ethnicity, sex or gender” , said Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, deputy press secretary to the senior advisor.
After the collapse of Hasina’s government, India repeatedly expressed concerns about the security of minorities, particularly Hindus, who were widely seen as supporters of Hasina’s Awami League.
The arrest of Iskcon priest Chinmoy Krishna Das on a charge of sedition, which stemmed from the hoisting of a saffron flag above the national flag of Bangladesh during a rally, has further heightened fears of discrimination against minorities in this South Asian country, drawing condemnation from India.
Bangladesh’s caretaker government rejected the claims, with chief government adviser Muhammad Yunus saying violence against minorities had occurred “only in some cases” and that most complaints were “completely exaggerated.”