Regime Change in Bangladesh, Minorities Threatened, Sikhs Safe

On 5 Aug, upon a huge student and citizen march to national capital Dhaka, former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina who ruled for 15 years, fled the nation. While she is in India’s capital New Delhi, from 8 Aug, Bangladesh has adopted an interim govt. headed by the founder of hugely successful microfinance-based Grameen Bank and Nobel prize winner Mohammad Yunus. The anger against Hasina’s govt. and her Awami League (AL) party was such that protesters also brought down the statue of the father of the nation Mujibur Rehman who was Hasina’s father, torched museums and cultural centers, and killed AL leaders and members. The concern was about the rise of Islamist right-wing political party Jamaat-e-Islami which – under Hasina – Bangladesh declared illegal in 2013 and banned on 1 Aug. Indian visa centers are closed indefinitely. Hindus make up 8% of the nation’s population. Initial misinformed reports suggested massive attacks on Hindus and temples. However, by a day or so, images emerged of Jamaat and students protecting the temples. While Hindus remain on edge, Gobinda Pramanik, the general secretary of the Bangladesh National Hindu Mohajot, praised efforts by Jamaat leaders and criticized Indian media for exaggerating the situation. The Sikh population in Bangladesh is almost negligible but there are Gurdwaras associated with Guru Nanak and Guru Tegh Bahadur’s visits. The president of the Gurdwara Management Committee Bangladesh (GMCB) has said that Sikhs are safe. The GMCB team is protecting the Gurdwaras. Chief advisor Mohd. Yunus has appealed for peace and raised the issue of attacks on minorities by rhetorically asking, ‘Are they not citizens of this country?’ Shakhawat Husain, the newly appointed adviser for home affairs, has apologized to minorities.