By David Asta Alares
Dhaka, Aug 11 (EFE).– Mrinal Kanti Chakraborty’s blood still stains the floor where he was murdered by a group of unknown assailants on Monday.
He is one of at least three Hindus killed in Bangladesh amid the chaos following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government, as attacks on the minority group surge.
“Some unknown people attacked our home, we were five people my father, mother, elder sister, son of elder sister, and him (Mrinal),” his 21-year-old daughter, Priyonti Chakraborty, told EFE by phone.
“I hid myself when it happened, but I saw that the attackers hit my father with a stone in the head. He died on the spot.”
Three Dead, No One to Investigate
Their father, a school teacher, was killed instantly in his home in the southern district of Bagerhat.
His family now fears returning to the bloodstained house, which they have left untouched as evidence of the attack. His wife was seriously injured, and Priyonti’s older sister was also assaulted.
There is no one to investigate the crime. Many police officers remain missing from their posts across the country following their involvement in the violent repression of the student movement that toppled Hasina and left more than 400 dead.
Priyonti suspects that her neighbors, who may be trying to seize the family’s land, took advantage of the chaos. “Our family doesn’t feel safe,” she said.
Mrinal Kanti’s murder is one of three confirmed killings of Hindus, a minority that makes up nearly 8 percent of Bangladesh’s 171 million people, according to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC).
Monendra Kumar Nath, from the organization that protects minority rights, told EFE that two other Hindus were killed a day before Hasina resigned and fled the country.
Deepening Concern
These deaths are among numerous reports of attacks on Hindu homes, temples, and properties across Bangladesh. The extent of the violence is difficult to know, but the BHBCUC has received reports from every district.
This has created a climate of deep concern among the country’s minorities.
At Dhakeshwari Hindu temple in the capital, security has been tightened amid fears of further attacks.
Suman Malakar, speaking from the 800-year-old temple’s courtyard, told EFE that the community has mobilized on social media to ensure the temple is always guarded.
“Normally, 25 to 30 people stay here,” he said, adding that Muslim-majority residents and the students behind the protests have been helping manage the chaotic city traffic with wooden sticks in the absence of police.
The situation is more dire in rural areas, as Shushata Boiragi, visiting the temple, told EFE. “I live in a town, so it’s safer, but my parents live in a village and they are afraid of being robbed.”
The unrest has sparked two consecutive days of protests in Dhaka, the latest on Saturday when hundreds of Hindus demanded that interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus guarantee their safety.
“Whatever happens in Bangladesh, the minorities end up being the victims. Minorities, especially the Hindus, have suffered,” said Kajal Debnath, another BHBCUC member.
The organization is in close contact with the new government, who have requested a list of locations where incidents have been reported.
However, Debnath warned that “the anarchy is total, and the only solution is to deploy the army to patrol.”
He fears a mass exodus or that Hindus will quietly leave the country. Hindus made up 20% of the population at the time of Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Debnath noted that many Hindus in border areas are eager to cross into India, but New Delhi formed a committee on Friday to monitor the situation at the border.
As reported by The Hindu, the border is effectively “sealed,” and no mass crossing of Bangladeshi citizens has been detected.
The political future in Dhaka is uncertain for the Hindu minority, with elections on the horizon that the interim government has yet to announce. There are few appealing political alternatives.
“Both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Hasina’s Awami League use religion to win votes,” Debnath said. The army chief has met with all parties, including the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, following Hasina’s departure.
“It would be better for the interim government to last a couple of years and establish a spirit of inclusion among the youth,” he added. EFE
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