Hundreds of Bangladeshi Hindus have attempted to flee to India this week after widespread vandalism targeted their homes and businesses following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported that in 45 of the country’s 64 districts, Hindu homes, businesses and temples have been attacked.
The violence has resulted in the death of a school teacher and injuries to 45 others.
Hindus make up about 8% of Muslim-majority Bangladesh's 170 million people and have traditionally supported Hasina's Awami League party, which identifies as largely secular, rather than the opposition bloc.
Hasina fled to India on Monday in the face of mass protests against what critics called her authoritarian rule, sparking anger among some Bangladeshis toward their neighbor.
Many living near the India-Bangladesh border are trying to flee but are facing resistance from both sides, local residents said. Both countries have increased border patrols since the violence erupted.
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, a local government official in Thakurgaon district in northwestern Bangladesh, said about 700-800 Hindus attempted to flee to India on Wednesday evening after their homes were attacked and looted.
"They returned home after we provided protection," Hasan told Reuters. "Border guard troops are patrolling the area. Everything is fine now with no further reports of violence."
Early Thursday, about 300 Bangladeshis gathered at a border point near India's Jalpaiguri district but later dispersed. Indian media showed Indian border troops near the group.
A Hindu goldsmith in the Narsingdi area, about an hour from Dhaka, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said two youths demanded protection money of 1 million Bangladesh taka ($8,550) and backed down only after receiving 100,000 taka.
Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, who returned to Bangladesh on Thursday to lead an interim government following Hasina's departure, suggested that the attacks on minorities could be part of a conspiracy but did not specify who might be behind it.
“Our job is to protect all of them,” he said upon arrival in Dhaka from Paris. “If you have faith in me and trust me, please ensure no one is attacked in the country. If you cannot listen to me on this, I have no use being here.”
The two countries have longstanding cultural and business ties, and India played a key role in the 1971 war with Pakistan, which led to the creation of Bangladesh.
India, with its Hindu majority, expressed concern over the attacks on minorities, their businesses, and temples in Bangladesh.
“It is the responsibility of every government to ensure the well-being of all its citizens,” India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press conference. “We hope for the early restoration of law and order in Bangladesh. This is both in the interest of the country itself and the larger region.”
Bangladesh's Hindu community leaders have urged other communities to support the religious minorities.
“I call upon the conscientious people of the country to set aside all differences and stand unitedly with the affected people and build social resistance,” said Moyna Talukdar of the Bangladesh Hindu Law Reform Council.
