Michael Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center, expressed concerns about violence against minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. He noted that “meaningful progress would be challenging until these attacks are halted and law and order issues are resolved. Kugelman also dismissed claims of foreign interference in the uprising that led to Sheikh Hasina’s removal, stating there is no “plausible evidence” to support such allegations.
In an interview with ANI, Kugelman said, “A few stories are playing out in Bangladesh that deserve more scrutiny, investigation…the issue of attacks and threats on minorities, particularly the minority Hindu communities. We know the documented cases of members of the Hindu society being attacked…On Friday there was a large protest in Dhaka in which people were calling for more protection of the Hindu community.” The US-based foreign policy expert also pointed out the problem of misinformation surrounding the situation in Bangladesh, stressing that media outlets need to tackle this issue. “But there has been a lot of misinformation as well. Many of these reports are actually not true. The problem with misinformation is it can distract from the fact that bad things are happening…so I really hope that the Bangladesh media and other foreign media on the ground will continue to look into this,” Kugelman added.
“I underscore something that I said earlier, I think it would be very difficult for Bangladesh to make meaningful progress and peaceful political transition, so long as attacks on the law and order situation, which includes attacks, threats on religious minorities, particularly Hindus, are not addressed,” he said.
Kugelman rejected claims by Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, that foreign interference was behind the protests, stating instead that the unrest was fuelled by “internal factors.” He also pointed out that the Hasina government’s severe response to the protesters intensified the movement.
“My view has been very simple. I see this as a crisis that was driven by purely internal factors, by students who were unhappy about a particular issue, job quotas that they didn’t like and they were worried about the government. Sheikh Hasina’s government cracked down very hard on the students and that then turned the movement into something much bigger. And this was simply driven by internal factors,” Kugelman said.
“Now, you know, when there is a conspiracy theory that is rooted in issues of foreign influence, one cannot disprove such type of allegation. Also, at the same time, one cannot conclusively prove it. I think the onus, is the responsibility to provide a plausible explanation for how it can be true. I am yet to hear that from Sheikh Hasina’s son, from anyone,” he added.
He described the political instability in Bangladesh as a “troubling situation,” noting that achieving a “peaceful political transition” will be a very challenging task.
Kugelman noted, “Well, it certainly is a very troubling situation. Whenever I’m asked what I think the top priority of the interim government should be, I say and continue to believe that it’s restoring law and order. It’s clear that there’s significant amounts of instability right now, and I think it’s still unclear what the scale of that violence is. But I think that it’s going to be very difficult to make meaningful efforts to affect a peaceful political transition until the violence and the unrest subsides. And I think that there needs to be a lot more work, a lot more investigation as to exactly what is going on, particularly in terms of the scale, but I and so many others are of course very concerned about this current level of violence and unrest.”
“With the police not having a major presence on the ground and with the army seemingly reluctant to play that role of trying to impose law and order, there’s a vacuum, there’s a security vacuum that I think that violent actors will and have taken advantage of, and this is certainly very concerning,” he added.
Bangladesh is facing a dynamic political situation, as Sheikh Hasina stepped down as Prime Minister on August 5 amid escalating protests. Initially led by students calling for the abolition of a quota system for government jobs, the protests gradually transformed into broader anti-government demonstrations.
Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, asking for his help in stopping the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. Krishnamoorthi urged Blinken to speak with Muhammad Yunus, who is leading Bangladesh’s interim government as of August 8, to put an end to the violence and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
In a letter to Blinken, Krishnamoorthi said, “I am writing to you regarding the fluid situation in Bangladesh and the rise of coordinated anti-Hindu violence in the wake of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. Now that Muhammad Yunus is sworn in as Prime Minister for the interim government, it is of utmost urgency that the United States engage with his government for the purposes of both bringing the violence to an end and the perpetrators to justice.”
Muhammad Yunus was inaugurated as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government on August 8, following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and departure from the country amid extensive unrest. On Thursday, 17 members of the interim government were sworn in during a ceremony in Dhaka. Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus, 84, took the oath as the chief advisor, a role equivalent to prime minister, administered by President Mohammed Shahabuddin.