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Bangladesh Minority Rights: The atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh have saddened me. The situation became even more serious after the fall of Hasina government in August 2024. Law and order in the country has collapsed. When Hindus take out processions to raise their voice for their rights, they are tortured. Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu, a Hindu leader associated with the Hindu-led International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was arrested at Dhaka airport on Monday. His bail has also been rejected. Chinmoy Krishna Das is also the spokesperson of ‘Bangladesh Samit Sanatan Jagran Jot’. This group is demanding security and rights of Hindus in Bangladesh. Their 8 point demands are as follows.
1. Form an impartial investigation commission
There has been a demand for formation of an impartial inquiry commission to ensure that minorities, especially Sanat Hindus, get justice against atrocities. In this regard, it has been demanded that a fast track trial tribunal should be constituted so that the culprits get speedy and appropriate punishment and the victims get adequate compensation and rehabilitation.
2. Implement Minority Protection Act immediately
Islam is the main religion in Bangladesh. 91 percent of the population there is Muslim. The remaining 9 percent includes Hindus, Buddhists, Christians etc. As a minority, the Chashwars face violence and persecution because of their religious practices, language and culture. Therefore, there has been a demand to immediately implement the Minority Protection Act for their safety.
3. Create a Ministry of Minority Affairs
Bangladesh has a Ministry of Religious Affairs which also oversees the religious affairs of minority communities. However, there is no specific ministry to address the specific needs and problems of minority communities in the country, hence the demand for such a ministry has also been raised by the minorities.
4. Upgrade Hindu Kalyan Trust to Hindu Foundation
The eight-point demand presented by the minorities also talks about the creation of a ‘Hindu Foundation’. ‘Hindu Welfare Trust’ was established in 1983 by the Government of Bangladesh for the welfare of the Hindu community, which is still functioning, but there is a major lacuna in its administration. These types of institutions are managed by trustees, whereas Hindu welfare trusts in Bangladesh are managed by the government itself. How a Muslim government will manage a Hindu trust in a Muslim country is an issue to be considered. Therefore, a strong proposal to upgrade the ‘Hindu Welfare Trust’ to a ‘Hindu Foundation’ has been put forward with the demand that the management of this institution be handed over to the Hindus of Bangladesh and there should be no government interference in it. Similarly, there has been a demand to upgrade Buddhist and Christian welfare trusts also.
5- Protect minority property
Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, a law was enacted in Bangladesh that gave the government the right to confiscate the property of citizens who left the country (then ‘East Pakistan’) for any reason. The biggest loss of this law was to those Hindus who crossed the border and came to India for their safety. When he returned to East Pakistan, the government confiscated his property.
This unjust law is still in force in Bangladesh, taking advantage of which minorities are deprived of their property. If minorities file a case in the court, the case is not resolved for years, due to which the people of the minority community are devastated. In protest against this law, minorities have demanded a new law to protect their property.
6. Allocate prayer rooms in educational institutions
There are prayer halls or mosques for Muslim students on the campuses of educational institutions in Bangladesh, but there are no such facilities for minorities. In 2022, Dhaka University opened the country’s first multi-faith prayer room for minority students, featuring pictures of their favorite deities for Hindu, Buddhist and Christian students. However, apart from that one instance, there is no such facility anywhere in Bangladesh, so Hindus there are demanding allotment of prayer rooms for minority students in all public and private universities, colleges, schools and hostels.
7. Modernize Sanskrit and Pali education boards
Bangladesh has facilities for studies in Sanskrit and Pali for minority students. Hindu students can study Hindu scriptures, astrology and Ayurveda etc. in Sanskrit, while for Buddhist students, courses on Sutras, Vinaya and Abhidhamma are available in Pali language. However, this feature is inadequate and not available everywhere. At one time the number of recognized colleges in Bangladesh was 110 for Sanskrit and 88 for Pali. There were 50 centers for the examination of both the languages. This number has declined steadily over the years, leading the minorities there to demand increased educational resources and modernization of the Sanskrit and Pali education boards.
8. Extend holidays on Durga Puja festival
The festival of Durga Puja is very important for Bengalis. There is only one day public holiday in Bangladesh on this festival, so the Hindus there have demanded to increase the holiday to 5 days.