In an exclusive interview, Shipan Kumer Basu, the President of the World Hindu Struggle Committee, has claimed that for the Bangladeshi government, there is a direct link between the murder of Bangladeshi opposition figures as well as minorities and the promotion of Islam: “As soon as the month of Ramadan began, the Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies started to murder people in the name of abolishing the drug business. They targeted most of the opposition leaders and critics of the government. Since Sheikh Hasina is desperate to come back to power in this way, more people will be killed. The people of the country are very concerned and angry in this dire situation. Moreover, many believe that ISIS stands behind the killing of intellectuals in Bangladesh and that Sheikh Hasina is sponsoring them with looted bank money.”
Basu claimed that so far, three intellectuals have been killed: Shahjahan Bachchu, Suman Zahid and another unidentified intellectual: “People are not leaving home. The atmosphere is not festive like the season demands. As a result, the prices have increased. The government’s corruption and the murder of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and other indigenous people continues unabated. Nobody is getting justice. The oppression of the minorities is increasing in Bangladesh. There are more and more cases of homes getting vandalized, temples being attacked, crematoriums being seized, different shops being closed down, the forcible conversion of Hindu girls, rape, sexual harassment, etc. Sadly, most of the government leaders are involved with these horrific incidents.”
“I have heard rumors that a crematorium belonging to Hindus was leased among the local Awami League leaders,” Basu stated. “1,326 Hindu students of two upzilas of Noakhali district have not yet received textbooks. The home of Rabindranath Gosh, founder and president of Bangladesh Minority Watch, was attacked and demolished by an assailant recently. Hindu lawyers are also not safe in Bangladesh, especially if they work to advance human rights.”
“Recently, two Hindu lawyers have been harassed,” Basu noted. “One of the victims is Samir Chowdhury. According to his daughter, he has been framed for a crime that he did not commit by the government merely in order to impede his work to advance human rights. In addition, a land grabber recently occupied the homes of Hindu families in Mymenshingh. And even though 20 million Hindus still live in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina recently placed a Muslim in charge of the Hindu Welfare Trust, which impedes the rights of Hindus in Bangladesh in the same way that having a Muslim school principle in Iranian Jewish schools serves a similar purpose.”
According to the Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, there has been a spike in attacks upon minorities in Bangladesh and that these incidents are frequently followed by the seizure of Hindu lands, the Dhaka Tribune reported: “Local governments and police often fail to investigate violent attacks that accompany land grabs because their colleagues are implicated.” Basu alleged that such behavior by the Bangladeshi government is religiously motivated.
Basu claimed that the Bangladeshi government is doing everything to advance political Islam in Bangladesh to the detriment of minority religions: “Awami League Organizing Secretary Khalid Mahmoud Chowdhury reported that no one has playing a significant role in promoting political Islam in Bangladesh without the Awami League. He claimed that the Awami League serves Islam and politics in the name of BNP-Jamaat Islam. They have corrupted Islam via terror in the name of religion. In this way, they want to introduce Islamic rule in Bangladesh. Proof of this is the fact that the 300-seat parliament refuses to give the responsibility of a full minister to a single Hindu.”
While General Secretary of the Awami League Obaidul Quder claimed that his political party is the best friend of the Hindu people, Basu claims the reality is the opposite of what he claims: “How many Hindu women have been raped under the rule of the current government? Can anyone tell me? A helpless Hindu minority woman and her infant daughter were recently raped by Awami League leaders in the Kishorgonj district of Bangladesh. The police filed a hassle case instead of a rape case against the accused. Is this an example of the Awami League’s friendship with the Hindu people?”
