Voices of Bangladeshi Hindus
The Hindu community in Bangladesh has been facing a slow genocide reaching back decades. One data point sums it up. In 1951 the East Pakistan census. Hindus were 22% of the population. Today they are just 7%—a precipitous decline in just 70 years.
The hard numbers are hard to fathom and mask the very human stories behind them–even from those who did not suffer the worst excesses of lynching, rape, murder, extortion and property theft
And this may not be all. Mainstream media seems to be ignoring the large-scale targeted violence, so we are relying on limited reports and are trying to piece together the complete picture from brave Hindu volunteers who are sharing their stories. CoHNA is committed to amplifying these voices. Here we share some first-hand accounts that expose the terrifying reality being faced by many Bangladeshi Hindus today.
Rana Dey: We’re disappearing from our own homeland
My predominantly Hindu neighborhood of Chittagong in Bangladesh has become a target. For two weeks starting August 5, mobs combed our area each night, looting homes, vandalizing properties, and setting them ablaze. It was a state of total chaos and destruction.
During a video call on August 7th, my 53 year old mother looked pale, terrified, and sleep-deprived. “We’ve been awake for the last two nights, and I don’t know how long it will continue,” she said in a trembling voice. I had never seen such fright and a sense of helplessness in her ever before. The stress took its toll and on August 10th, my mom had to be hospitalized because her sugar level dropped dangerously.
Four months now, following the political upheaval and conditions within Bangladesh haven't subsided. My country is now wholly controlled by unruly mobs and fundamentalist goons. There is no law and order. I was horrified as Hindus all over the country are attacked, targeted, and massacred.
It is now unthinkable to be visibly Hindu and roam Bangladesh without fear of being attacked. Last week, my mom faced insults at the city electric office, where she was made to wait for an unusually long time. When her turn finally came , a clerk smugly remarked “this is our country now, the days of Hindus have now gone”. There was no recourse against such unprovoked taunts – Hindus are being treated like second-class citizens.
Rana Dey is a PhD student at the
University of Dayton, Ohio.
Jyoti Dutta Purkayastha: The horrors of August 5 still haunt me
The horrific events that unfolded in the first 24 hours after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left the country on August 5 are etched forever in my mind. My cousin just disappeared from his house following an attack. He was later found in a pond and is now in a coma and we are all shattered due to this.
For those who say this is not happening—it’s very real. Please don’t deny it.
And recent news has left me even deeply shaken and questioning both. The arrest of a leading Hindu monk Chinmoy Das in Bangladesh for simply protesting anti-Hindu violence has sent shockwaves through the global Hindu community, including the Bangladeshi Hindu diaspora in Canada. It feels like a painful reminder of the ongoing persecution that my people face, even as they seek refuge and belonging abroad.
As a second-generation Bangladeshi Canadian Hindu, I carry the weight of a dual identity—and of being a religious minority in both places who wants equality and justice.
— Jyoti Dutta Purkayastha,
Cultural Secretary, Toronto Durgabari.
Pankaz Das: Fear transcends boundaries
My heart has been as heavy with worry since August, when turmoil in Bangladesh peaked. My parents were visiting me at the time, but our thoughts were consumed with fear for my sister and our relatives in the villages of Chattogram district.
I live in the USA, but hail from Bangladesh- a country that got its name from Sanskrit-the ancient and sacred language of Hinduism. Yet today, the same Hinduism is being wiped out.
The anxiety we all faced was suffocating. Sleep eluded us as we constantly reached out to my sister, desperately hoping to get some updates. Several incidents have raised additional concerns, including an attack on my cousin's neighborhood in Hazari Goli, Chattogram, as well as attacks on and the burning of nearby police stations, such as those in Kotwali and Chandgaon. My father, overwhelmed with concern, kept his phone glued to his side, frantically calling anyone he could, urging them to stay safe and seek shelter during the day. The stress weighed on him, and on August 6th, he suffered a heart attack.
We rushed him to the ER, where he underwent an angioplasty and spent five agonizing days in the hospital. Miraculously, he pulled through, and I felt a surge of gratitude that he was still with us. Even from thousands of miles away, we faced this harrowing ordeal, but I can’t help but think of the unimaginable struggles faced by the Hindu community in Bangladesh. My heart aches for them as they navigate their own terrifying reality.
Pankaz Das born in Chattogram, Bangladesh, spent the first 25 years of his life in Bangladesh. He currently lives in Texas, USA with his family. He is a scientist by profession.
Anonymous: Will we survive?
I live with my family in Dhaka-a city named for the 7th century Dhakeshwari temple on the site of an even more ancient Shakti Peeth.
But today we are feeling suffocated because of religious extremism from the majority. Some Islamists came to my home, demanding that we convert to Islam, and threatened us for simply practicing our faith.
I was even being bullied in my office for my Hindu religion. But, of course, you cannot say anything in response either to defend your faith or about their faith, because there would be a very real and credible threat of violence.
As a young professional, I tremble thinking of the fate of Hindu boys like Utsav Mandal and Hriboy Das, targeted with false accusations and hunted down simply for their beliefs–that could so easily be me…. Hindu homes and temples are being vandalized. On the streets of my home town and across towns and villages in Bangladesh, Hindu women face daily assaults, both verbal and physical.
The Bangladeshi Army is helping radicals in forcefully converting Hindus. A Hindu Genocide is taking place and there is no protection from our government.
Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma is the original faith of Bangladesh. but these radicals are trying to erase us. If this situation continues, then Hindus will be wiped out from a land once dotted by Kali and Krishna temples.
Kalyan Sikder: Hindu women are not safe in Bangladesh
I worry constantly about my sister, and extended family since the turmoil began in August. My mom’s cousin got beaten in the marketplace. I was so distraught, I couldn’t sleep for seven days.
I hear from so many about how the very basics of law and order have been weakened or dismantled and because of that, so many incidents – especially attacks on Hindu women – were not reported.
Who wants to report an incident, if the reporting itself leads to more trouble?
The plight of Hindus in Bangladesh is dire, and silence is not an option. The global community, human rights organizations, and international media must break this silence and create pressure for change. The very existence of millions of Hindus in Bangladesh depends on it.
The plight of Hindus in Bangladesh is dire, and silence is not an option. The global community, human rights organizations, and international media must break this silence and create pressure for change. The very existence of millions of Hindus in Bangladesh depends on it.