Open Letter Exposes 'Intolerable' Conditions for Minorities in Bangladesh

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): An 'open letter' signed by nearly 500 people - including dozens of former diplomats, public servants, senior government officials, armed personnel and members of the civil society - has urged all individuals and institutions in Bangladesh to work towards restoring democracy and secularism, including the rights of Hindus and other religious minorities in the country while emphasising that the current situation is "intolerable and unacceptable" to the people of India.

The initiative, coordinated by India's former High Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri and former ambassador Bhaswati Mukherjee, points out that the worst brunt of the chaotic situation prevailing in Bangladesh is being borne by the 15 million strong minority communities of Bangladesh - including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, as well as the Shias, Ahmadiyyas and others. "For over four months, fundamentalist Islamist groups have unleashed violent, terrorist attacks on religious minorities across the country in almost every district, involving desecration and vandalisation of places of worship, abductions and rape, lynchings, extra judicial executions, killings, forced conversions, along with wanton destruction of homes and business establishments. Even where there is irrefutable evidence, no action has been taken against the culprits," the letter mentions.

It is to be recalled that Muhammad Yunus had taken over as the Chief Advisor of the Bangladeshi interim government on August 8 following the fall of the government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. "The series of events in July and August 2024 had initially been described as the result of a spontaneous uprising by students across Bangladesh. However, September 24, 2024, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus publicly stated at a gathering of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York that the regime change operation, far from being spontaneous, was "meticulously designed", planned well in advance and spearheaded by an Advisor in the Interim regime, who is also Special Assistant to Yunus," the letter details.

Noted Indian scholars, former diplomats and retired Army Generals, who signed the 'open letter' have jointly voiced their alarm and concern at the deteriorating situation in Bangladesh. "The agenda of the Islamists appears to be to terrorize and drive the religious minority population out of Bangladesh. It is noteworthy that Hindus and other minority communities across Bangladesh are stoutly resisting such attempts by Islamist groups. They are seeking protection of their rights as citizens of Bangladesh, as assured through the nation’s Constitution," the letter states.

It adds that an "atmosphere of anarchy" prevails in Bangladesh, with "mobocracy the preferred method" of decision making. The letter also refers to the arrest and jailing of Chinmoy Krishna Das, formerly with the globally renowned ISKCON spiritual organisation, together with his colleagues in the Sanatani Jagran Jote who had put together an eight-point demand on behalf of the religious minorities of Bangladesh, including seeking the enactment of a minority protection law in Bangladesh and formation of a ministry for the protection of minorities.

"There is no response from the Yunus administration on these demands. Chinmoy Krishna Das has been arrested on charges of sedition, denied bail without a hearing and his lawyers are facing organised intimidation in their efforts to defend him in court and obtain bail. He is being denied a free and fair trial," says the 'open letter'.

It adds that the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh have aroused deep concern in India, which has a long border with Bangladesh. It states that, apart from the purely humanitarian aspects, there is the danger that the volatile situation in Bangladesh could spill across borders, disrupt communal harmony and create serious law and order problems in India. The signatories to the letter also urged the people of Bangladesh not to be swayed by "malicious anti-India campaigns" that seek to weaken the bedrock of mutually beneficial cooperation that has been steadily developed over the last five decades and more.

"There is concern that the representatives of Islamist political parties and organisations, several of whom have joined the interim administration, are enforcing decisions that go against the very essence of Bangladesh's 1972 Constitution. Since such groups have seldom received any electoral support from the people of Bangladesh, the present situation is against the larger interest of the public. This crisis facing Bangladesh can only be overcome through early free, fair and inclusive elections," the letter concludes while calling for an "immediate end" to attacks on minorities, their properties, business establishments and coercion to force them to leave.