Most attacks on minorities in Bangladesh that have taken place since the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina “were not communally motivated but were political in nature”, according to a police report.
This came after Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported that minorities in Bangladesh faced 1,769 incidents of communal violence and vandalism, the Daily Star reported.
Of these reported incidents of communal violence against minorities in Bangladesh since August 4, 2024, the police registered 62 cases and arrested at least 35 people based on the investigation results, the report said.
The police report indicated that the majority of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh were politically motivated rather than communally motivated, with investigations confirming that 1,234 incidents were political and only 20 were communal. Additionally, the report said that at least 161 reports of attacks were false, while the Council reported that 1,452 incidents (82.8% of the total) occurred on August 5, 2024, the day Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power, reported the Daily Star.
The report says 53 cases have been filed and 65 arrests have been made. In total, since August 4, 115 reports of communal attacks have been registered, resulting in the arrest of at least 100 people.
The interim government reaffirmed its stance of zero tolerance towards communal violence.
“The government has also announced that it will compensate the victims. The caretaker government attaches utmost importance to establishing human rights regardless of creed, color, ethnicity, sex or gender,” Deputy Press Secretary to Principal Advisor Abul Kalam said. Azad Majumder.
Following the collapse of Hasina’s government, India has on many occasions expressed concern for the safety 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 sedition charge, arising from hoisting a saffron flag over Bangladesh’s national flag during a demonstration, further raised fears of discrimination against minorities in the South Asian nation, which attracted condemnation from India.
Bangladesh’s interim government dismissed such claims, with senior government adviser Muhammad Yunus stating that violence against minorities had occurred “only in a few cases” and that most complaints were “completely exaggerated.”