No major incidence on religious minorities in Dhaka city

Though some attacks were reported, there has been no major incidence of vandalism of assets and places of worship of religious minorities in Dhaka city since 5 August.     

A few scattered acts of vandalism of shops, as reported by religious minority rights groups and community people in Dhaka city, were found to have been targeted because of the owners’ connection to Awami League or other disputes, not related to religious identity, witnesses and locals said.

At least one house and four shops of Hindu minority people were vandalised in Dhaka city since the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August. A temple was ransacked in Dhaka’s Khilgaon area, locals and rights groups said.

Two religious minority rights bodies – Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad and Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad – at least listed six incidences of vandalism, threats and attack on a temple and some houses and shops owned by people from religious minorities in Dhaka city during 5-8 August.

The Business Standard team visited some of the spots to see the latest.

One such spot was Khilgaon Nandipara, where a Hindu house near Rakkhakali temple was vandalised on 5 August night by a mob led by Mahbub, whom the house-owner called as a land grabber. “He tried to occupy our house. Later local BNP leaders and workers caught him,” Maloti Rani Mondol told TBS reporter who visited the spot on Monday.  

Her house and the temple were looted that night, she alleged, seeking justice. Maloti said she sent her daughter away for safety.

Another spot mentioned in the list was Rajarbagh in the city’s Sabujbagh. Locals told TBS reporter there on Monday that no temple or house of minority was attacked or looted in the area in recent time. Situation here has been normal and no such attack took place, Krishna Roy and Shafiqul Islam said at Rajarbagh Kali temple there.

However, a local trader who did not want to be quoted, said local ward councillor Chittoranjan Das is pro-Awami League and he had dominance over the temple affairs. There was tension on 5 August as pro-BNP members tried to take over the control, he said, stating there was no major problem in the area.

A medicine shop was vandalised and looted at Manda in the city’s Mugda area (ward 71). The shop was jointly owned by five people – two Hindus and three Muslims. One of the owners, Gopal Rajbongshi, was closely associated with local ward councillor Khairuzzaman Khairul, a local Awami League leader. This was why the medicine shop, which is housed in the ground floor of the ward councillor’s building, locals said.

TBS talked to some 20 local traders there, but could not confirm that any gold jewellery shop was looted in the area. No one could identify Biplob Rajbongshi, mentioned in the list of minority rights groups, as the owner of the jewellery shop there.

Overall, no incidence has been reported at major places of worship of Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities in Dhaka since 5 August.

“There has been no incidence in Dhakeswari temple in recent days,” said Bijoy Chakraborty, a priest at the capital’s main Hindu temple. He said local madrasa students were among the volunteers who guarded the temple amid fears among the community people and devotees since news of violence spread after Sheikh Hasina fled the country on 5 August.

Dhmamitra Mahathero, Bhante of Buddhist temple at Badda Kalachadpur in the city told TBS that there was no incidence of attack or threat on the temple. He did not hear any such incidence in any of the Buddhist temples in Dhaka till Monday.

General secretary of the temple Abhijit Barua said nothing happened in the temple.

Tony Rozario, who frequently visits Jop Mala Rani Church at Tejgaon, said he did not hear any incidence in any church in Dhaka since the fall of the Awami League government.