Lutfan Nahar Minu, a member of the Citizens’ Unity Central Committee, recently made negative remarks about the Hindu community of Bangladesh. Lutfan Nahar Minu, a member of the Central Committee of Citizens’ Unity, said that “Hindus are imported into the BCS from India. How come so many Hindus are in government service?” However, Minu could not provide any evidence in support of his anti-Hindu rhetoric. She made these remarks at a roundtable discussion titled ‘Bangladesh in the Perspective of Democracy and Rule of Law’ organized by Voice for Democracy and Voters’ Rights.
The discussion meeting was held at Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of the National Press Club last Friday. Lutfan Nahar Minu, a member of the Central Committee of Citizens Unity also added, “Those who have passed BCS during the last 13 years of this government are not eligible to pass BCS. If a new government is formed and they are tested again, no one will be able to pass.”
Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dhaka, Dr Anwar Ullah claimed, “Voters are created in the name of teacher recruitment. Half of the 900 teachers are Hindu. In this country, Hindus are only 15 per cent. Teachers are not recruited on a merit basis in Dhaka University.” Senior journalist Mustafa Kamal Majumder presided over the discussion. He said, ‘Political racism is going on in the country. If anyone supports BNP, he is incompetent. Nothing happens in this country based on merit.’ “Democracy is a belief, a system. But that is not the case in Bangladesh,” said Abdul Latif Masum, a professor at Jahangirnagar University. “At the end of the discussion, when reporters asked Lutfan Rahman Minu if there was any evidence to support her statement, she avoided it. She said, “I don’t remember the names at the moment, but I know 20 to 25 people.”
Meanwhile, Lutfan Nahar Minu, former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Anwar Ullah, Jahangirnagar University Professor Abdul Latif Masum’s serious remarks against Hindus have no connection to the reality. Because the Hindu community of Bangladesh has always had opportunities in different sectors based on their merits. On the other hand, communal attacks on the country’s minority Hindu community are continuing. Since the formation of the state, the Hindu population in Bangladesh has been steadily declining. According to the 2001 census, the Hindu population of Bangladesh was 8.5%, compared to 18.5% in the 1981 census.
According to the research of Renowned professor of Bangladesh Dr Abul Barakat, from 1974 to 2013, more than 11 million Hindus were forced to leave Bangladesh due to religious persecution. At least 22 indigenous groups have gone missing from the country. Santu Larma, chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, claimed that more than 50 indigenous groups are on the verge of extinction.
The communal violence against Hindus that took place from 13 to 24 October 2021 alone, is a shining example of the reality of Hindus in Bangladesh. From this, it is easy to guess what the Hindus of Bangladesh have to face. More than 14 Hindus were brutally killed during Durga Puja, one of the religious festivals of the Hindu community. At least 1850 Hindu houses were vandalized and set on fire and Hindu businesses were looted. At least 343 Hindu temples had been vandalized and burnt. More than 26 Hindu women, including minors, had been raped. On 18 Dec 2021, the International Commission of Human Rights and Religious Freedom held an virtual open hearing on the persecution of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. ICHRRF is a US-based human rights advocacy organization.
It is easy to guess that Lutfan Nahar Minu, former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Anwar Ullah and Jahangirnagar University Professor Abdul Latif Masum’s claims are misleading and mischievous. In addition to the communal attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh, such heinous provocations are being spread regularly and a section of the educated intelligentsia of the country is deliberately and consciously carrying out this act, which is further fuelling the mentality of communal attacks against the Hindu community in Bangladesh.
