Violence Against Hindus Escalates In Bangladesh; Many Flee To India Border As Temples, Houses Torched: Top Updates

Following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Hindu temples, households, and businesses have been vandalized, women assaulted, and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with the Awami League party killed in Bangladesh. Hindu minorities have fled to the Indian border seeking refuge, with many taking shelter near the border to save themselves, as reported by Zee News Television. Protesters attacked houses of Hindu minorities across the country, burning everything, including rice and other essential supplies. No police or army personnel came to their rescue, leaving the minorities vulnerable to the attacks.

"We have compiled some incidents of vandalism in different parts of the country, exposing the Hindu and other minority communities to anxiety," Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council leader Kajol Debnath told news agency PTI on the margins of a meeting of the group.

According to available information, two Hindu leaders, who were incidentally leaders of Hasina's Awami League (AL) party, were killed in north-western Sirajganj and Rangpur, Debnath said, adding that the Council was still gathering more information.

Debnath said the attackers "plundered shops, temples, and houses and assaulted Hindu women" while many were injured during the assaults amid the fast-paced political developments following the fall of Hasina's government.

A day after Hasina resigned and fled the country following massive protests against her government over quota in government jobs, violence that had started afresh over the weekend continued overnight, leading to a total of over 400 being killed since mid-July.

According to the Council leaders, the districts where religious minorities and their households or businesses were attacked include north-eastern Panchagarh, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Bogura, and Sirajganj; northern Sherpur and Kishoreganj; western Jashore, Magura, and Narail, south-western Khulna, Patuakhali, and Satkhira; central Narsingdi, Mymensingh, and Tangail; north-western Lakkhipur, Feni, and Chattogram, and north-eastern Habiganj.

"The situation is grave, and Hindus are being continuously attacked across Bangladesh," the Unity Council's general secretary Rana Dasgupta said in a statement earlier. "We urge the army to ensure security for the minorities and bring the perpetrators of the attack to book immediately."

Debnath, meanwhile, said they would come up with details on the attacks later Tuesday. On Monday, an Indian cultural centre was vandalized by an unruly mob in Dhaka, and four Hindu temples suffered "minor" damages across the country. The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, located in Dhaka's Dhanmondi area, was also damaged by the unruly mob, according to eyewitnesses. The Centre, a Cultural Centre of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations of India, has a library with over 21,000 books in the fields of Indian art, culture, politics, economics, and fiction.