Bangladesh : Hundreds of Hindus hit the streets over attacks on their lives and vandalisation of their properties and temples

In recent weeks, Bangladesh has been gripped by a wave of unrest that has seen Hindu temples desecrated, homes destroyed, and businesses ransacked. Amidst this chaos, two prominent Hindu leaders aligned with the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League have tragically lost their lives. The turmoil reached a fever pitch following Hasina’s abrupt resignation and subsequent departure to India on Monday.

Yet, this violence is far from confined to the Hindu community alone. Since Monday, the nation has been engulfed in bloodshed, with reports indicating that over 250 lives have been claimed, pushing the grim death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests erupted in mid-July.

As the nation teeters on the brink, hundreds of Bangladeshi Hindus—who constitute nearly a tenth of the population—have poured into the streets of Dhaka. They are voicing their anguish over the spate of attacks targeting their community and the rampant desecration of their sacred temples following the collapse of the Hasina government, an event that has coincided with fierce student-led demonstrations. Social media is awash with videos showing the anguished faces of protesters, their placards pleading for the salvation of minorities, while cries of “Who are we? Bengali, Bengali” reverberate through the air. In a poignant display of defiance, these protesters blocked a major intersection in the capital on Friday, their voices rising in unison with the chant, ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna’.

In a desperate bid for refuge, countless Bangladeshi Hindus have sought to escape the violence by crossing into India, a neighboring country with which Bangladesh shares a sprawling 4 100 km land and riverine border.

In a stern address to the nation on Thursday, newly sworn-in Head of the Bangladeshi government, Muhammad Yunus, declared that those sowing the seeds of chaos would face the unyielding force of law enforcement. Meanwhile, the Indian government has voiced deep concern over the plight of minorities in Bangladesh and assured that it is vigilantly observing the unfolding situation.