Bangladesh elections: Minority Hindus in crosshairs as radical plot unfolds

Ahead of February elections in Bangladesh, political leaders are reportedly using anti-Hindu and anti-India rhetoric to polarize voters. Minority communities face threats, fake narratives, and potential violence, raising fears of persecution and exodus amid attempts to consolidate religious vote banks

New Delhi: A plot has been engineered in Bangladesh to incite violence against the minority Hindus ahead of the February elections. Many leaders who are contesting the elections are planning on using the anti-Hindu rhetoric as an election plank.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that a plot was hatched last week by several leaders to incite violence against the Hindus in Bangladesh. During this meeting, several radical elements were roped in to help further this plan.

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An official said that the situation is very worrisome for the minority communities in the country. While violence has been a concern, the worry is that it is set to escalate further ahead of the elections. Bangladesh watchers say that the polls will not be fought on the development plank. There would be no talk about security, economics, and other important topics. The poll would be all about an anti-Hindu, anti-India rhetoric, the experts say.

Many leaders are trying to incite the radicals against the Hindus, stating that India has been giving shelter to the ousted leader, Sheikh Hasina. Further, they are telling the people that the Hindus support India, and hence they have no place in Bangladesh.

Another official said that this plot also includes running a fake narrative against the minority community. They would create stories about the Hindus trying to incite tensions. Allegations of theft and other crimes would be made against them, so that the locals can commit atrocities against the minority community. Another campaign issue would be Sheikh Hasina. They are branding her as anti-Bangladesh and pro-India. Most parties are accusing India of sheltering Hasina, despite Bangladesh seeking her extradition. Experts say that it is hard to analyse whether this strategy would work entirely.

A large majority in Bangladesh seeks good ties with India instead of Pakistan. Many leaders have realised this, and hence they feel that this strategy to polarise voters based on religion may work for them. An official said that this anti-India, anti-Hindu rhetoric is working for many leaders.

The Jamaat-e-Islami, especially, is reaping the benefits of this strategy. The worry, according to the official, is that the situation is only going to worsen in the coming days. Many Hindus continue living in fear in the country. If the violence escalates, they would look to leave the country, and there could be a major exodus. This would put a lot of stress on the borders, which already remain fragile since the Jamaat-backed Muhammad Yunus took over power.

The persecution of the minorities is nothing new in Bangladesh. It has always taken place, and the population of the minority community has dropped significantly over the years. Officials say that this time it is different. This is not only about persecution, but it has also become vote bank politics.

Such plots to target the minorities systematically come at a time when many leaders are calling for the establishment of an Islamic state. However, many do not want the country to be governed by the Constitution.

They have been demanding that Sharia law be implemented. When the atmosphere is so charged up, there is a lot of worry ahead for the minorities who live in Bangladesh. Officials say that the persecution of minorities will not stop even if there is a democratic government in place. The big worry is that it would be multi-fold until the elections are over, an official added.