Hundreds of Bangladeshi Hindus try to cross into India

Published August 8, 2024
Army personnel stands guard in front of the Prime Minister Office, days after the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 7, 2024 — Reuters
Army personnel stands guard in front of the Prime Minister Office, days after the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 7, 2024 — Reuters

Hundreds of Hindus in Bangladesh were gathered along the Indian border hoping to cross, security officials said on Thursday, days after a student-led uprising toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Some businesses and homes owned by Hindus were attacked following Hasina’s ousting, and the group is seen by some in Muslim-majority Bangladesh as having been close to her.

“Several hundred Bangladeshi nationals, mostly Hindus, gathered at different points along India’s border with Bangladesh,” Amit Kumar Tyagi, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) deputy inspector general, told AFP.

More than 200 people were “standing close” to the frontier with India’s border in West Bengal state.

In the state’s Jalpaiguri district, more than 600 Bangladeshis gathered in no-man’s land, Tyagi added.

“As there is no fence here, BSF personnel formed a human shield to keep them at bay,” he said.

Officers fired a blank shot into the air to disperse crowds, he added. Hasina, 76, who had been in power since 2009, quit on Monday after more than a month of deadly protests.

The security situation in Bangladesh has since dramatically improved but there have been reports of revenge attacks on her supporters and party officials.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said earlier this week that at least 10 Hindu temples were attacked by “miscreants” on Monday.

A hospital official, on condition of anonymity, told AFP that one man from the community was beaten to death in the country’s southern Bagerhat district.

In India, where Hasina is now taking shelter, foreign minister S. Jaishankar said Tuesday his government was “monitoring the situation” with regard to minorities.

Opinion

Editorial

Running on empty
Updated 22 Mar, 2025

Running on empty

World Water Day should remind country’s rulers that water crisis threatens the very survival of our future generations.
Another ultimatum
22 Mar, 2025

Another ultimatum

THESE are fraught times, but the government must still find it in its heart to be a little more accommodating....
Muzzled voices
22 Mar, 2025

Muzzled voices

A NEW era of censorship is upon us. The FIA’s arrest of journalist and founder of media agency Raftar, Farhan...
Personal priorities
Updated 21 Mar, 2025

Personal priorities

Pet projects launched by govt often found to be poorly conceived, ripe for exploitation, misaligned with country’s overall development priorities.
Inheritance rights
21 Mar, 2025

Inheritance rights

THE Federal Shariat Court’s ruling that it is un-Islamic to deprive a woman of her right to inheritance is a...
Anti-Muslim actions
21 Mar, 2025

Anti-Muslim actions

MUSLIMS in India have endured incessant scrutiny of their nationalism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ...