Utter mayhem has been unleashed in Bangladesh against the minority population, particularly Hindus. The pogrom that started on 5 August, post Sheikh Hasina’s removal, is continuing. But now that the Hindus are standing up against the massacre of their co-religionists by Islamists, the regime in Dhaka and its followers and backers have started branding anyone who speaks out as a terrorist. Bearing the brunt of this ire is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a Hindu sect popularly known as the Hare Krishna movement, established by Swami Prabhupada in 1966. The sect has a major international following. Even Tulsi Gabbard, who has been picked by Donald Trump to be his Director of National Intelligence, is an ISKCON devotee. Practitioners of non-violence, ISKCON members are among the most peaceful that the world has known and are involved in major philanthropic activities. They draw their inspiration from the 15th century Bhakti movement saint Shri Chaitanya, the founder of Vaishnavism. Anyone who has had even the mildest of interactions with the followers of ISKCON would know that terrorism and radicalism are words that cannot be associated with them. So to brand them as terrorists and arrest their head in Bangladesh, Chinmoy Krishna Das, not only reeks of fakery but is essentially an instance of administrative overreach, inability of a government’s duty to protect every section of the population, apart from being a complete subversion of the rule of law. Chinmoy Krishna Das’ fault was that he had taken the lead in asking for guarantees for the protection of Bangladesh’s minorities. It was because of this that trumped up charges of sedition were given on him and he was sent to prison. And now the attorney general of the country has described the ISKCON as a “radical fundamentalist outfit” in court. The intention is obvious, to ban the organisation. This is a part of a continuing process to limit the space for Hindus in Bangladeshi society, by eliminating all socio-religious identifiers that make them Hindu. The message is clear, Hindus do not have any place in a Muslim Bangladesh—so they should either convert or leave. Given that the majority of such Hindus are extremely poor, they do not have the means to leave for another country, so it’s but natural that they would convert to Islam and save their lives. No wonder there have been estimates that inside this decade Bangladesh may not have any Hindus left. It’s ironic that the country that fought against Pakistani occupation to gain independence and retain its own language and culture, is following the same path of radicalisation that Pakistan has followed, and is now even dancing to the tune of Pakistan’s intelligence and military leaders.
It is a case of where a government has given in to pressures from the street, or worse, even instigated the street to target the minorities.
The question is, what explains the silence of the West on the situation in Bangladesh. It seems the western countries are following the Biden administration’s lead that democracy has been restored in Bangladesh with Hasina’s ouster. It is a different matter that the current government has been installed undemocratically and there is no election on the horizon to ensure that the people get to exercise their will. That Muhammad Yunus has the Biden administration’s backing has made the US and the rest of the West turn a blind eye to Yunus’ inability, and even unwillingness, to control the situation in his country. US President-Elect Donald Trump has spoken out against the situation in Bangladesh, but it is still another two months before he comes to office, and two months can be a long time in a violence torn region like Bangladesh.
As for India, it is time to go beyond making statements and take punitive measures on Bangladesh. No cricket, no trade, border crossings closed unless and until this targeting of Hindus stops—these are some steps India should contemplate taking. The hit that the Indian economy will take because of this is minuscule compared to the human cost that Bangladeshi Hindus are paying. The Bangladeshi public needs to feel the pinch and make Yunus the target of their wrath. It’s only then there may be some action on Yunus’ part to protect the minorities in Bangladesh.
