- Hindus in Dhaka report increasing attacks by radical Islamists linked to Jamaat-e-Islami
- Victims state attacks target them due to their Hindu faith, not political ties
- Recent violent deaths of Hindus have led to protests demanding an end to attacks
Hindus in Bangladesh's troubled capital Dhaka in an exclusive conversation with NDTV's Ankit Tyagi, who is at ground zero, narrated the horrors they faced and concerns they have as attacks on them by radical Islamists, a majority of them encouraged by the Jamaat-e-Islami, rise.
"They said they are attacking us because we are Hindus, not because we support the Bangladesh Awami League. First of all we don't support anyone, whether Awami League or any other group," a member of the Hindu community told NDTV.
"The Islamists are lying to the outside world that they are going after Awami League supporters and it's purely political. But that's a smokescreen to run their campaign against minorities in this country," the Dhaka resident, his face hidden from the camera, told NDTV today.
All the Hindu residents of Dhaka who spoke to NDTV requested not to reveal their identities as they could be attacked, or worse.
"The Islamists call us Indians; they say we must go back to India. But we don't agree with that. We are not Indians. We are Bangladeshi Hindus. I was born here and I will die here. This is my country," another resident told NDTV.
The Hindu residents of Dhaka said they are not treated as equal citizens.
"We are constantly told to go back to India. They call us India's agents. Yunus has failed us," a resident said.
The members of the Hindu community said they expect Tarique Rahman to ensure the othering of minorities does not happen in Bangladesh. Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman and son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has returned to the crisis-hit country after a gap of 17 years.
He has emerged as a top contender for prime ministership in the Bangladesh election, an outcome which the minority Hindus expect may bring some relief and at least a semblance of justice for a start.
"It was not like this earlier. The situation turned bad after the fall of Sheikh Hasina. Hindu children are now treated differently. Hindu government employees are being sacked from jobs," another resident told NDTV, his face away from the camera.
While officials working with Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus claim they are protecting minorities, the ground reports say otherwise. Hindus have reported frequent attacks by Islamists across the country.
Another Hindu man, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal alias Samrat, was beaten to death in Bangladesh yesterday, days after Dipu Chandra Das was lynched and his body was set ablaze. Residents told local media that Samrat was allegedly the leader of a criminal gang called the 'Samrat Bahini', which was allegedly involved in extortion, among other activities.
Dipu Chandra Das, 27, was accused of blasphemy by a co-worker before he was lynched by a mob. The authorities later said there is no evidence that Das committed blasphemy.
A local Hindu organisation led a protest in Dhaka today demanding a stop to attacks on the minority community.
