With the interim government yet to be announced and police officers on strike, there is a current state of anarchy all around the country. Volunteers from all around the country have come together to clean the streets, beautify the walls, manage the traffic and stand against arsonists, robbers and perpetrators of violence.
WHEN IT COME TO MINORITY COMMUNITIES, THERE IS 2 THINGS HAPPENING SIMULTANEOUSLY:
1. MANY HINDUS HAVE RECEIVED THREATS AND HAD THEIR PROPERTIES VANDALIZED ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY AND EVEN IN THE CAPITAL.
2. MANY VOLUNTEERS (EVEN FAITH LEADERS) IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE COUNTRY IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR FAITH HAVE COME FORWARD TO HELP PROTECT HINDUS AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES ALONGSIDE THEIR PLACES OF WORSHIP.
Now we can not deny any of the above 2 points or the fact that they are happening simultaneously around the country. While many areas are safe right now with the help of locals, there are still many more areas where minority communities are under active attacks and threats fearing for their own safety. But the first point is often being ridiculed and being treated as misinformation or propaganda and being met with backlash in light of recent false news being circulated and the twitter posts from India.
Ridiculing, threatening or shunning the Hindu community or any minority groups when they report attacks or ask for help is against the constitution of our secular country and is a violation of their rights as citizens. While verifying information is key, trying to find who to blame or reasons to justify this anarchy makes us less of allies and harder for them to trust who they can genuinely reach out to.
AS CITIZENS OF THE COUNTRY NO PERSON OR GROUP SHOULD BE SUBJECTED TO ANY SITUATION WHERE THEY FIND THE NEED TO BE GUARDED OR PROTECTED FROM VIOLENCE AND THREATS DIRECTED TO THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEF OR ETHNICITY.
But we know that communal violence has been a long standing tool to propagate the divide and rule strategy all around the subcontinent and even in our own country. Thus we are unfortunately met with instances like this where minorities in our country are actively under threat when many others are celebrating their new found freedom.
Things we must ensure as of now to safeguard minority communities and their rights in Bangladesh are:
1.Volunteer to prevent attacks on minorities and donate to help rebuild vandalized property.
2. Declare an interim government as soon as possible to restore law and order in the country.
3. Army must confiscate all weapons that were looted from police stations all over the country, get a hold hack on escaped prisoners and stop jailbreaks like the one in Narsingdi. Until this is ensured, the Army must scale up security measures nationwide to prevent attacks and anarchy.
4. Every person trying to propagate communal violence must face legal consequences for their actions and threats.
5.To ensure communal violence is something we do not allow in the reformed Bangladesh, school curriculums and faith leaders all over the country must actively teach practices for cultural harmony and empathetic behavior towards everyone irrespective of faith.
We can only truly move towards a harmonious and peaceful Bangladesh when we all come together with respect for each other’s diverse backgrounds and opinions.
✍️ Shakila Nahar
Associate, YPF G&I Policy Team