Back-to-back attacks on Hindu communities in Bangladesh during Durga Puja celebrations have prompted serious concerns about the trajectory of the Muslim-majority nation. Top intelligence sources describe the situation as a “complete takeover by an Islamic jihadist mindset,” citing a series of disturbing incidents.
The sources told CNN-News18 that a chilling pattern of violence and intimidation has emerged in Bangladesh. According to the sources, bomb attacks on puja mandaps, the murder of journalists, robberies at places of worship, and even the forced takeover of puja celebrations for Islamic Quranic recitations are occurring under the watch of the administration. The inaction on the part of the interim government, they argue, has created a climate of fear for Hindus, making Bangladesh “worse than ISIS.”
Several recent incidents underscore these concerns:
- On October 12, Swapan Bhadra, a Hindu journalist and vice president of the Tarakanda Press Club, was brutally murdered outside his home in the Mymensingh District. Bhadra, known for his vocal opposition to injustice, had his wrists slashed and throat cut by Sagar Mia, a Muslim youth.
- In Dhaka’s Shankari Bazar, radical Muslims attacked a Hindu procession carrying a Durga idol for immersion. The assailants hurled bricks and hot water from the Noor Market in Patuatuli, injuring two Hindus amidst the chaos.
- At the Takabari Sarbajanin Durga Mandir in Ujirpur, Barisal, a group of Muslims forcibly entered the Puja Mandap and began reciting the Quran. This act of religious imposition disregarded the pleas of local Hindus and amplified existing anxieties.
These incidents, according to intelligence sources, are not isolated events but indicative of a broader trend of rising religious intolerance in Bangladesh. Sources believe that ineffective intervention by Muhammad Yunus has emboldened extremist elements, creating a sense of impunity for those targeting religious minorities.
Last week, Bangladesh media reports said that 17 persons have been arrested and about a dozen cases were registered after the country witnessed about 35 untoward incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations across the country this month.
Amid threats from Islamist groups to disrupt the celebrations, the interim government’s Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain last month had warned of tough action against those disrupting communal harmony or targeting places of worship during the Hindu festival. The Hindus constitute about 8 percent of the 170 million population in Bangladesh.
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