Bangladesh’s Hindus: Becoming Invisible Citizens in a Cage

The Token Hindu in Power In Bangladesh’s current interim arrangement, there is one Hindu adviser. No one seems to have seen him; in fact, it appears that ninety-nine percent of the country does not even know which ministry he advises.

- BY SWADESH Roy

The chief adviser of this interim government travels abroad almost every month with a grand entourage. Sheikh Hasina’s delegations were equally large—but there, at least as a token representation, two or four Hindu faces could be seen. Now, even those have been pruned away.

Moreover, during this interim period, several judges have been appointed to the High Court. There, too, like the lone Hindu adviser, one Hindu judge has been included—perhaps as a symbol. Since it involves the judiciary, no further comment can be made. Yet Bangladesh still has many prominent Hindu lawyers capable of serving as amici curiae.

A Peaceful Puja Amid Silent Anxiety

Recently, the principal Hindu festival, Durga Puja, concluded—very peacefully. But in Bangladesh, idols are broken by madmen and by the wind itself; even when idols are smashed, the authorities declare that the Puja has been peaceful. On television, scenes were shown from several temples, featuring the arati dance and worshippers engaged in prayer.

What stood out this year, however, was striking. In most Puja mandaps, the number of Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP activists was visibly higher than that of Hindu women, who are usually the heart of the festival. In some temples, people from Hefazat and other madrasa-based organisations were also present.

Across the media, the most prominently featured news about Jamaat-e-Islami was that certain leaders were “guarding” temples with their followers. So, while Jamaat activists stood watch, Hindu women had to perform their rituals under those same eyes—some carrying within them the deep sigh of memory, a memory of 1971, when a relative was raped by those very forces. Every time these Islamist cadres enter a temple, Hindu women must become alert about their clothing.