United by harmony, cannot be divided by conspiracy

On October 31, 2024, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump issued a statement on the platform X (formally Twitter) regarding violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in Bangladesh, claiming they have been victims of mob looting that, according to him, would have never occurred under his watch. This statement came quite unexpectedly, particularly given that Hindu communities in Bangladesh celebrated their biggest annual festival, Durga Puja, just two weeks ago in a largely peaceful atmosphere.

Many observers noted that this year’s Durga Puja saw one of the best security arrangements the Bangladeshi government has organised nationwide, ensuring a safe and uninterrupted celebration for Hindu communities. Except for a few isolated incidents, this year’s celebration was largely peaceful and widely regarded as remarkable in recent years. Despite generations of communal harmony and peaceful coexistence between the Hindus and Muslims in Bangladesh, this unexpected statement is shocking. It could be seen as an attempt to discredit the interim government led by Dr Muhammad Younus, potentially orchestrated by certain vested interests who may have influenced Trump, a US presidential candidate, to issue such a statement just a week before election day.

Propaganda campaigns and the manipulation of minority issues are not uncommon in recent months. Within hours of Sheikh Hasina’s removal from power, reports began to appear in some Indian media outlets that members of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh were being targeted by ‘Islamist forces.’ Amid the chaos, ultra-right-wing influencers in India took the opportunity to share misleading videos, making it seem as though Hindus in Bangladesh were under indiscriminate attack. An incessant flow of misinformation and largely disinformation had flooded social media. Since then, narratives of ‘false minority persecution or attacks on Hindu temples and property’ have been used to undermine the efforts of the interim administration and destabilise the country.

Just last week, on October 26, Dattatreya Hosabale, the general secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), called on the UN and the international community to protect Bangladeshi Hindus from discrimination. Following the fall of the Hasina regime, the Indian government also established a committee headed by the BSF chief and heads of land border authorities in West Bengal and Tripura. The committee is assigned to communicate with Bangladesh regarding the protection of Hindus and prevent the oppression of Hindus. Additionally, this kind of committee formation has never occurred before. Speculating that Hindus would be forced to leave Bangladesh, several politicians even went so far to suggest the Indian government get ready for a possible refugee catastrophe. This begs the question: Why is the Indian political establishment concerned so much about the Hindus in Bangladesh but not as much about safeguarding the lives and property of India’s Muslim minority?

This could be interpreted in many different ways. The most evident is the BJP’s continued grasp on the religious voting base and its adherence to the extreme Hindutva banner under which it governs. This announcement is probably an attempt by the BJP to reassure the Hindus and appeal to their psychology.

Another plausible interpretation is that the BJP and Indian regime were upset that the Hasina regime, which had been defending Indian interests over Bangladesh and its eastern area (chicken neck) for more than a decade and a half, was overthrown. This might have infuriated the BJP. Consequently, the BJP government and mainstream Indian media actually made an effort to avoid giving the mass uprising in Bangladesh against the authoritarian Hasina regime — whom India has always supported — the prominence it deserved. Thus, they discredited the Dr Younus-led interim government and redirected public attention to the oppression of the Hindus.

Bangladesh is a multi-ethnic country where individuals from many racial, religious, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds coexist. Bengali culture has long been characterised by religious concord. Hindus continue to be the second most common religion in Bangladesh. They make up about 10 per cent of the population. This harmonious coexistence of Muslims and Hindus has long made Bangladesh a democracy and non-communal society.

This analysis does not deny that incidents occurred; rather, it acknowledges that following the shift in the country’s political landscape on August 5, several incidents affected Hindu communities, driven largely by the general lawlessness and political vacuum that emerged. In the absence of an immediate law enforcement presence after the ousting of Hasina’s government, opportunistic actors exploited the situation. The police, as the primary force responsible for maintaining order, had lost much of their credibility due to their longstanding support of the previous regime, which made them vulnerable in the changing landscape. Fearing for their own safety, many police officers refrained from performing their duties nationwide. This temporary security lapse resulted in widespread concerns about safety, affecting not only Hindu communities but citizens across the country, particularly in the first few days following August 5. However, in many instances, false information about these events was disseminated widely on social media and certain Indian mainstream media outlets, often with exaggerated descriptions. A fact check by German media outlet DW on August 7 revealed that old photos depicting rapes and brutal attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus had reappeared online, misleadingly linking those to recent unrest in Bangladesh. DW fact checks as well as BBC fact checks highlight the inaccuracy of these widely circulated claims, exposing the manipulation of information surrounding these incidents.

Despite evidence indicating that much of the violence against Hindu households in Bangladesh was politically motivated, several Indian media outlets and organisations have framed these incidents as communal attacks. The Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has amplified reports of temple desecrations, assaults on Hindu homes, and targeted violence, using these events as focal points in their reflection of political changes in Bangladesh. By highlighting these incidents in speeches and organisational meetings, RSS leaders present them not as isolated occurrences but as indicative of a broader threat to Hindus worldwide, cultivating a collective consciousness. This framing has led the RSS to appeal to the UN for protection of Bangladeshi Hindus against discrimination.

The situation on the ground in Bangladesh, however, is quite different. While some anti-social elements did carry out violent acts against Bangladeshi Hindus following the August 5 uprising, the law and order situation has since improved. The interim government of Bangladesh has taken decisive action to ensure the safety of Bangladeshi Hindus, and the vast majority of Bangladeshi citizens have strongly denounced violence against Hindus. Such attacks on Hindus were strongly condemned by all major political parties, including the Islamists. In many cases, the Muslims protected Hindu religious sites, setting a shining example of inter-communal harmony. As stated, Hindu communities also celebrated Durga Puja this year in a relatively peaceful atmosphere. Even though there were a few isolated incidents, the government reacted quickly to capture the miscreants who acted according to the instructions of conspirators and vested quarters. Earlier, the head of the interim government, Dr Younus, called Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and assured the safety and security of Hindus and other minority groups in Bangladesh. Dr Younus, along with other advisers of the interim government and top officials from the police and army, visited temples during Durga Puja to express solidarity and ensure protective measures were in place. They also issued stern statements against the culprits and vowed to punish those who committed any forms of violence against Hindus and their properties.

Despite all those measures taken, the recent calls of the RSS chief to the UN and the social media posts of Donald Trump seem to be purely politically motivated. Ultimately, this can be seen as an attempt to question the credibility of the interim government that has vowed to restore democracy as well as peaceful and progressive transition in Bangladesh following the ousting of the fascist regime of Hasina. It is also an open secret that elements of the then fascist regime and their collaborators are doing everything to destabilise the country; conspiracies against the interim government are visible now in every aspect. Certain vested groups are actively working to undermine the government’s image, aiming to sow discontent among minority communities and weaken public confidence in the administration. Countering their influence presents a serious challenge, not only for the government but for the nation as a whole. By inciting resentment and hostility against minority groups, these actors seek to provoke conflict between the Muslims and the Hindus in the country. However, as long as we remain united as a nation, such conspiracies cannot divide us. The international community should recognise the need for strong support and collaboration with the interim government and Bangladesh as a whole in its march towards restoring democracy.

Source: New Age