Bangladesh unrest: Please save us, open borders - Hindus send SOS from Dhaka

NAGPUR: Shattered by horrific lynchings of Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mondal, trapped and persecuted Hindus in Bangladesh are sending out an SOS to India to open the borders to escape Islamist mob fury. The fears were accentuated on Thursday by the groundswell of support to Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman, who's considered a hardliner.

TOI reached out to a cross-section of Hindus residing in Rangpur, Chittagong, Dhaka and Mymensingh and spoke to them on Whatsapp call with the help of exiled Bangladesh Sanatan Jagran Macha leader, Nihar Haldar, accused of sedition along with former ISKCON monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das.


"We face constant insults for our faith but cannot react to repeated humiliation. The mere taunts we face while walking down the road may soon turn into mob killings. We are trapped and have nowhere to go. We swallow insults as we fear we could meet the same fate as Dipu or Amrit," a 52-year-old resident from Rangpur told TOI. One of the biggest concerns remains BNP assuming power after elections, as it's a party viewed as inimical to minorities. "We are helpless. We can only escape to India, but there is strict control at the borders," he told TOI.

Talking to TOI, another Hindu resident of Dhaka said, "If Dipu Das' lynching has triggered fears, the return of Tarique Rahman, son of former President Khaleda Zia, to Bangladesh makes them more anxious. If the BNP comes to power, we could face more persecution. Sheikh Hasina's Awami League was our only saviour."

The ripples could be felt in refugee pockets of Gadchiroli, Chandrapur in Maharashtra and Pakhanjur in Chhattisgarh, where Hindu immigrants from erstwhile East Pakistan were settled. Dr Subodh Biswas, president of Nikhil Bangla Samanbay Samiti, an organisation of former East Pakistan refugees, says, "Why don't Hindu organisations get proactive? India is the only country where Hindus of Bangladesh can bank upon during a crisis. More Hindus will be killed, but borders remain shut. We plan to stage protests at the border."

"There are 2.5 crore Hindus in Bangladesh. It's not a small number. Hindu organisations in India are doing nothing more than lip service. We are staring at a holocaust," said a Sanatan Jagran Macha activist requesting anonymity.

It's not that there will be Hindu exodus after borders open, but we will be at least insulated from violence, said a resident of Mymensingh. "We are living the worst nightmare. Opening the Indian borders will at least create an escape route for those facing persecution," said a Hindu from Dhaka. Many lead a hand-to-mouth existence in Bangladesh, including those like Dipu Chandra Das' family.

"For them, livelihood comes first, and they may not prefer an uncertain life after fleeing to India. If you wear or sport any Hindu symbol, passersby don't hesitate to call you an Indian agent," said another man in his forties from Dhaka.

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