Minajul Sheikh, a resident of Beldanga in Murshidabad district, told The Hindu that his brother Minarul Sheikh was picked up from Mumbai where he was working and subsequently forced into Bangladesh. Apart from Minarul Sheikh, at least two other workers were pushed into Bangladesh. The three workers — Minraul Sheikh and Nizamuddin Sheikh from Murshidabad and Mostafa Kamal Sheikh from Purba Bardhaman — also sent a video message to their relatives where they can be heard pleading before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other public representatives of the State to ensure their return to India.

It was only after the West Bengal government raised the issue, the workers were repatriated to India through the Mekhliganj border in Bangladesh on Sunday afternoon. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member and chairperson of West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board Samirul Islam said when the workers were picked up by the police in Mumbai, all necessary documents were provided by the State government.

“What has happened is very unfortunate and illegal. These are citizens of India and cannot be illegally pushed into Bangladesh in such a manner,” Mr. Islam said.

On X he said, “Under the leadership and active intervention of our Chief Minister @MamataOfficial, we were finally able to repatriate seven Indian citizens who were illegally pushed back to Bangladesh by the BSF. The Maharashtra Police first detained them on suspicion of being Bangladeshis and then handed them over to the BSF, which carried out the final act of deporting these poor migrant workers to Bangladesh—only because they spoke Bengali. They were deported to Bangladesh despite they showed all relevant proof of being an Indian. 

I have some questions:

1. How did the Maharashtra Police hand over these migrant workers to the BSF without informing the West Bengal government?
2. Why didn’t the BSF contact the local administration to verify their identities before forcibly deporting them to another country?
3. Is there a larger plan by these BJP-ruled states and the BSF to target and harass Bengali-speaking migrant workers?

We will not let this issue go. We will expose the dark forces behind this misdeed and ensure justice.”

Under the leadership and active intervention of our Chief Minister @MamataOfficial, we were finally able to repatriate seven Indian citizens who were illegally pushed back to Bangladesh by the BSF. The Maharashtra Police first detained them on suspicion of being Bangladeshis and…

— Samirul Islam (@SamirulAITC) June 17, 2025

The officer-in-charge of the Mekhliganj Police Station Mani Bhusan Sarkar said that after he received information from police stations in Murshidabad and Bardhaman about the Indian nationals in Bangladesh, he informed authorities of the BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh. “The three men were handed over to us [Mekhliganj police station] after a flag meeting at the border,” the Officer-in-Charge said. According to sources, the three men were pushed into Bangladesh on Friday night somewhere along North Bengal and Bangladesh border.

Since mid-May 2025, in a cloak and dagger operation, without any public disclosure, some administrations in India have been “pushing back” undocumented Bangladeshi migrants detained across the country through the eastern border. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has expressed concern to India about the “push back” of individuals across the border, particularly undocumented migrants. Interestingly, there is no official word about the “push back” from the BSF. While instances of the “push back” of Bangladeshi nationals has come to the fore in Assam and Tripura, on this occasion, nationals of West Bengal were pushed into Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Assam has seen the most aggressive of this policy in action. Citizens for Justice and Peace has been at the forefront of documenting and agitating the issue, both with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Gauhati High Court. The memorandums to the NHRC may be referred to here. No evidence of due process has been followed by the Assam police in detaining without notice, persons who have every reason to state –with documents—that they are Indian. The last month’s coverage of the crisis may be read here, here and here. 

Related:

Assam: Academics, lawyers, activists condemn ‘push back’ of persons to Bangladesh

Assam: When six ordinary Indian women were forcibly pushed out from India–No Man’s land– Bangladesh & then back

Assam: Slamming Sarma’s actions as discriminatory & unlawful, LOP, Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia calls for an urgent stop to “pushback” of citizens

The post M’tra: Three West Bengal residents pushed into Bangladesh by BSF, return after WB state govt.’s intervention appeared first on SabrangIndia.

For the vibrant Anti-Discrimination Students Movement and Mohammad Yunus who is slated to take over the reigns of power in an unusual move, the challenge is both stark and immediate.

Reports from the Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune and even the Times of India have clearly detailed these attacks, eschewing any attempts at denial, even as they were condemned by rights activists within Bangladesh.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, in Jessore, the warehouse of Babul Saha, chairman of Bhagarpara’s Narikelbaria, was attacked and looted, while 22 shops of the Hindu community there were looted, and several houses were vandalised and plundered. The vandalism and attack took place on Monday night it was reported. At least 200 Hindu families live in the area, locals said. People from every house are now guarding the area at night. The newspaper also reported that during a visit on Wednesday, it was seen that Gobinda Saha, a resident of the area, was cleaning the broken window panes in front of his house, which were vandalized on Monday night. He told the newspaper that around 20-25 miscreants attacked their houses with machetes and sticks around 9:30pm on Monday.

“All of us in the family gathered inside the house and watched everything through the window. Around 10 people tried to break the main gate of my house. Later, they smashed the window glass with a brick,” he narrated. Biplab Kundu, a tenant of Shankar Kumar Mallick’s house, said: “After the attack on houses, we are keeping watch at night. Both men and women are having sleepless nights in fear.”

Govinda Saha said: “On information, three army patrol vehicles visited the spot. Activists of BNP and Jamaat had come to assure us of their support at night. Still, we cannot feel safe.” Additionally, the house of one Lakshmi Rani was also attacked and ornaments were looted on Monday night.

Hindus constitute about 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million people and have historically largely supported Hasina’s Awami League. Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council leader Kajol Debnath said the attacks that targeted 200 to 300 houses and businesses and 15-20 temples left around 40 Hindus injured. “The situation is grave. We urge the army to ensure security for the minorities and bring the perpetrators of the attacks to book immediately,” Unity Council’s general secretary Rana Dasgupta is reported by The Times of India to have said.

For me, both journalist and rights activist, as heart-breaking as these accounts was the once iconic cultural hub of Rahul Ananda being vandalised and 3,000 rare musical instruments burnt down. The Daily Star reported the incident on August 6:

1 of 3

“Rahul Da and his family are shaken and take shelter to a secret place known to only a few. We could not contact him yet. It was not even his house, it was a rental space he was living in for decades,” said Saiful Islam Jarnal, one of Joler Gaan’s founding members,” reported The Daily Star. As soon as they had broken the gate, they started ravaging the house taking whatever they could find for themselves. They took everything from furniture, mirrors to valuables. After that, they torched the whole house along with Rahul da’s musical instruments,” said another close family source, to The Daily Star. In response, the Joler Gaan posted a song from their official page with a caption, “The house on Dhanmondi 32, once a sanctuary for Rahul Ananda and the Joler Gaan ensemble, was not just a residence but a creative hub where countless songs and instruments were crafted. Known for its open-door policy, the house welcomed all, where Rahul meticulously designed instruments that captured the unique sound of Bangladesh.

“However, this haven was tragically reduced to ashes, taking with it all of the band’s musical instruments, archives, and the family’s belongings. While the residents escaped safely, the loss extends beyond physical possessions, reflecting a deeper lament over the destruction of dreams and creative spirit. Despite the devastation, the message of resilience and the hope for a compassionate future remains, urging people to preserve dreams and not let anger overshadow love and understanding,” the post concluded.

What does this targeted, hopefully limited violence mean for Bangladesh, for the Indian sub-continent and South Asia? For those of us who have battled the corrosive intoxication of hate, from the time when Hindu temples were desecrated in that country –Bangladesh–after the shameful demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, close to 35 years ago, it seems like the beginning of a nightmare that refuses to end. A deadly spiral of tit-for-tat communal targeted violence that has once so bitterly torn us apart between 1946 and 1948. Reverberations and upheavals from that violent past tear us apart still be it in Ranchi, Ahmedabad (1969) Bombay-Bhiwandi in the early 1970s, Nellie (1983), Delhi (1984) Maliana-Hashimpura (1987), Bhagalpur (1989), Bombay 1992-1993 and Gujarat 2002. Not to mention Muzzafarnagar (2013) and the sickening individual lynchings of individual Muslims in India over the past decade.

Already the shrill and sectarian voices from those that rule Delhi and Lucknow have been heard and will no doubt impact the lives of innocent victims from among Muslims in irrational acts of “revenge”. As if the imposed plight of religious minorities under the present Indian self-proclaimed majoritarian dispensation was not bad enough to begin with.

What the young leadership in Bangladesh has brought in response this time, however has been a swift and reassuring response. “A special announcement resonated from a loudspeaker inside a mosque in Bangladesh, issued by the ‘Students Against Discrimination’ group. In a call for peace during the country’s turbulent period, the announcement urged all citizens to maintain communal harmony and protect Hindu minorities. The message emphasised the collective responsibility of safeguarding the lives and property of the minority community from potential threats posed by miscreants or evil forces. The group implored everyone to remain vigilant and uphold the values of unity and protection, highlighting the importance of solidarity in these challenging times.

On Facebook and X photos annotated with English translations in the photo text, so that non-Bengali friends also can understand and acknowledge the efforts show visuals of Muslims protecting Hindu Buddhist and Christians spaces and places of worship. So, while attacks on minorities indeed took place in many areas in the country, that is precisely why the students, the people of Bangladesh spontaneously in Chittagong and elsewhere, came forward for protection, to fight the bigots of their country. India and Indians needs to condemn the violence against Hindus in our neighbouring country but also fight the bigots within ours and their poisonous narratives, using these pictures. Let us all learn how to behave responsibly as majority population in a turbulent time like this.

It has been these abiding acts and images that have offered hope even as the new dispensation yet to be seen in Dacca faces a serious test. For us in India, the challenge is to first unequivocally condemn any signs of targeted violence in Bangladesh while supporting a genuinely democratic upsurge. This is both complicated yet imperative.

Are there enough of us in India and Bangladesh to do both? Both passionately and unequivocally?

Related:

Chaos in Bangladesh provides opportunity to right-wing social media to spread misinformation regarding Hindus, temples being attacked in the country

The post Lessons from a ‘Democratic Revolt’: Prevent the slide into majoritarianism appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Courtesy: The Aidem

The post Bangladesh Situation Tumultuous, But Does Not Signify Islamic Extremist Dominance appeared first on SabrangIndia.

First and foremost, the new government has to provide protection to the cadres and the leaders of the party in power so far, as the Awami League’s sympathizers remain exposed to the wrath of two other political outfits, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JeI). Both these parties have suffered immensely in the last one and a half decades. Their leaders and cadres have ‘disappeared’, top leaders have been executed in ‘a show trial’ or forced to leave the country and elections have been rigged. Yet the history of ‘revenge politics’ has not helped Bangladesh.

While justice has to be delivered to the victims, new victims should not be created. There should be both justice and reconciliation, indicated Nelson Mandela, at the time of transfer power in South Africa. While celebrating the people’s uprising and victory, Bangladesh should remember Mandela’s speeches in 1994. However, alarmingly, violence is gaining momentum.

The residence of the country’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – a museum– was attacked; his statues were denigrated, while the households of the Awami League cadres and the minority Hindus were torched. The houses of the government officers who were considered close to the previously ruling dispensation were targeted. Such attacks should not continue as it did in 2001 when BNP-Jamat-led four-party alliance came to power and if it does then India needs to initiate a dialogue with the dispensation in power as both the Leaguers and the minorities will be largely dependent on Delhi.

In the process, Delhi needs to question its traditional foreign policy of aligning with one party or coalition and disengage with the rest. Though Delhi may have had a covert dialogue with the opposition, optics indicate that Delhi is not close to Bangladesh but rather to the Awami League. As a result, an overwhelming majority of Bangladesh is against India tonight. India’s powerful neighbour – China – never does that. For example, at this point, Beijing is talking to all sides in Myanmar. However, the students’ uprising has also indicated that a new Bangladesh is emerging. In this movement, religious and ethnic minorities have joined hands with the majority community. Placards have been displayed where it was written that ‘the army should be back to barracks both in the plains and the hills’. Hills signify the presence of the ethnic indigenous minorities, who have been facing army repression for decades.

The post Will Bangladesh’s Politics Of Revenge End? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The previously controversial reservation system was revoked by the government and later enforced by a High Court ruling, which was ultimately scaled back to a mere 5% by the Supreme Court.

I’ve often stated that while chaos may attract media attention and intrigue experts, it ultimately takes a toll on the nation, with ordinary citizens bearing the brunt of the consequences. The protests currently taking place are often romanticized on social media, but once mass gatherings occur, these movements can be commandeered for other agendas.

We have witnessed this in various instances, including the protests in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, the unrest in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and now in Bangladesh. The situation is far more complex than it appears.

Is the recent violence and looting in Bangladesh truly an organic student-led movement? This appears to be a coordinated effort, as evidenced by the Prime Minister being forced to flee in just 45 minutes. Instead of rejoicing, we see crowds vandalizing symbols of Bangladesh’s hard-won independence and attacking Hindu minorities and their temples — an unnecessary and troubling development.

It’s clear that Sheikh Hasina lost touch with the reality on the ground and became increasingly unpopular due to her economic policies and heavy-handed governance. This is a recurring issue in our part of the world: a powerful leader can become isolated and above the law, leading to external forces exploiting public dissatisfaction.

We cannot overlook the American approach to regime change — while they may not have succeeded in Russia, they’re striving hard elsewhere. Terms like “democracy,” “rule of law,” and “human rights” come into play.

The issue is not whether we should embrace these ideals but rather how we ensure a true democratic process, one that respects opposition and fosters economic improvement.

Bangladesh has enjoyed impressive economic growth, yet it has largely benefited industries, leaving the youth feeling increasingly suffocated by dwindling job opportunities. In this region, government jobs are highly coveted, and any attempt at implementing quotas or reservations will inevitably please some while alienating many.

In an era of social media, governments must tread carefully; while social media can be a powerful tool, it can also incite chaos when mainstream media is under the control of elites disconnected from the realities faced by the people. One cannot combat an ideological opponent solely with administrative power and policing.

When the public rises up, even law enforcement is likely to disengage, and we’ve seen this in Dhaka, where Sheikh Hasina’s official residence was attacked and looted in a matter of minutes. Is this the transformation we envision? Why was there such a lack of security?

Sheikh Hasina was fortunate to escape the crisis relatively unscathed, and she — or her advisors — should have anticipated the unfolding events. It is crucial for Bangladesh’s political leaders, military, and student community to prevent the current crisis from becoming a permanent rift.

Bangladesh is blessed with intellectuals, political leaders, and social activists dedicated to the country’s welfare. After battling oppression, now is the time to unite in restoring law and order. Honor the sacrifices of those who fought against tyranny and maintained their dignity in the face of adversity. While it is easy to criticize Sheikh Hasina as a despot, attacking symbols of your liberation movement or degrading the legacy of your founding leaders is counterproductive.

I sincerely hope the people of Bangladesh will come together to protect their nation and its rich heritage of peaceful coexistence, resisting the urge to let forces of intolerance and hatred exploit the current crisis. There is an opportunity to reclaim and collectively build your country, preserving its secular and pluralistic legacy.

May peace and stability be restored to Bangladesh, allowing it to thrive once more in tranquility, harmony, and economic prosperity.

Author is Human rights defender

Courtesy: CounterView

The post ‘Counterproductive’: Attacking symbols of Bangladesh liberation, degrading its founding leaders appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Images of injured protesters are being widely shared on social media platforms. These pictures evoke strong condemnation of the Sheikh Hasina regime. There are fears that the student wing of the ruling party is being encouraged to confront the protesters. The establishment is desperate to reduce the matter to a case of ‘law and order.’ The establishment-backed media are attempting to propagate the narrative of a clash between pro-quota and anti-quota student groups while defending the criminal actions of state authorities.

While more details of the police crackdown may emerge soon, and the exact number of protesters killed and injured may be ascertained, many facts are beyond doubt. First, the clash has been fuelled by the fight over limited government jobs due to massive privatization. It is a hard fact that the Bangladeshi economy cannot generate employment or address the legitimate demands of the student community due to its pro-rich economic policy. The Awami League government, led by Sheikh Hasina, has failed to provide relief to the people. As a result, it is becoming increasingly unpopular. However, the illegitimacy of the ruling establishment is evident not only in Bangladesh. Such a phenomenon is also witnessed elsewhere in South Asia.

Unfortunately, authoritarian tendencies and sectarian politics are weakening democracy from Dhaka to New Delhi. Ruling establishments across South Asia, instead of addressing the issues, are attempting to divide the people through concocted conflicts. In our region, narratives of Hindus versus Muslims and national versus anti-national are being propagated by the Hindu-right regime, while the current Bangladeshi establishment is attempting to foment polarization between freedom fighters and razakars (traitors). The term ‘razakar’ is an Urdu word that means volunteer. In Bangladesh, opponents of the Awami League were pejoratively called razakars for allegedly supporting Pakistan-backed militias.

Reviving her pet narrative, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has recently called the protesting students razakars. Instead of listening to the protestors, she chose to dismiss them and treat dissent as a crime. The world condemns the use of such divisive language in the strongest terms. Who will tell Sheikh Hasina that she is the leader of 170 million Bangladeshi citizens? She has taken an oath to treat all citizens without discrimination. She must not forget that raking up past horror would only weaken the present. Whatever happened during the Bangladesh Liberation War is a part of history and that cannot be a ground to judge a person who was not born at that moment.

Consider the example of British India. Many of the police officers and civil servants who worked for the British Raj until August 14/15, 1947, were considered freedom fighters disloyal to the Raj and criminals. However, the independent governments, headed by freedom fighters, did not attempt to take revenge on the officers. Nor was any attempt made to punish their children for the loyalty of their parents to the British Raj. Similarly, many supporters of the Congress and the Muslim League changed their loyalty after Partition and were not punished for their past associations. Similarly, the trope of the freedom fighters versus razakars can be useful for the ruling party to gain votes. But it cannot take Bangladesh as a nation to a big height. The sooner such a divisive narrative is buried, the better it will be for Bangladesh as a nation.

The reason why I cannot uphold the politics around divisive and emotive issues is because it hides the real fault lines in society. This is not to say that politics should become bereft of ideology. In fact, conflict, not cooperation, is a bigger reality of a property-based society. No one can deny that there is a fundamental conflict between the interests of the workers and the owners of all the resources. Similarly, in the South Asian context, caste, far more than religion, is the basis for the distribution of status, power, and wealth. Gender disparity, too, should also be a key factor in our analysis.

But it is also seen that the ruling party, which serves the dominant interests of society, always tries to hide the axis of inequality and discrimination. To hide them from the public discourse, imaginary issues and warring groups are created. It appears that the policy of giving 30 percent reservation to the families of the freedom fighters is a method to perpetuate the narrative of freedom fighters versus traitors discourse in Bangladesh. In this context, the protesting students are justified in opposing the 30 percent quota for the families of the freedom fighters. It is because no scientific study can show that the families of the freedom fighters are under-represented in Bangladesh and are historically, socially, and educationally marginalized.

Evidence suggests that the recent decision of the Bangladesh Court to uphold the 30 percent reservation was taken under political pressure. For, Sheikh Hasina, who is facing a big crisis of legitimacy, hopes to consolidate her support base by introducing a quota system for the family of the freedom fighters. She is quite aware of the fact that it would definitely be opposed by those who have not got the status of freedom fighters. However, she believes that the lingering controversy would create a sharp division in society. She hopes that such a polarization would draw their alienated supporters back to the Awami League. That is why it lends credence to the allegation that the student wing of the ruling party is given state protection to attack the protestors.

However, as the global community watches the brute use of power, her game plan seems to have backfired. Her statement shows that she is feeling anxious and getting nervous in the wake of the wider condemnation against her government. The use of force against the student community has dented her image of being a “liberal” face among Bangladeshi politicians.

While expressing my solidarity with the protestors against the illogical quota, let me also make it clear that I am not comfortable with the language of “meritocracy” emerging within the protesting groups. It is true that my assumption is based on media reports as I could not have access to protestors. However, I have read in the newspapers that protestors are demanding that “merit” should be followed in the allocation of jobs and that the quota should be kept to a “minimum” level. Both these arguments appear to be elitist in nature.

There should not be any confusion that the basic goal of affirmative action, including reserving seats in educational institutes and employment, is to ensure proportional and effective representation of historically, socially, and educationally marginalized communities including minorities. Merit or poverty cannot be grounds to fix a quota for any particular person or section.

The reason why I do not accept the merit logic is because merit is a trope invented by the elites and socially dominant classes and castes. The language of merit is employed to instil a sense of inferiority among the weaker sections and to deny them equal opportunities. The elite sections often repeat the term merit every day but no one has ever given a definition of merit that is acceptable to all. For example, who is considered meritorious in Bangladesh? Is he a person good at English? Or a candidate who can speak fluent Bangla? Or an Adivasi who can only speak her own language and knows very little of English or Bangla? If public examinations were conducted in the Adivasi language, all those proficient in English and Bangla would fail.

For me, only the marginalized communities, including minorities and indigenous communities, deserve to be given reservations. The marginalization can be defined by an objective study and it should not be left to the whim of any particular leader. While the principle of equal opportunity should be given to all, historically, socially, and educationally marginalized social groups can be included in decision-making by ensuring proportionate and effective representation. That is why, although some members of the dominant groups are found to be poor, they do not deserve to get reservations. This is because their social group is not underrepresented. The state, apart from the reservation, is within the ambit of the democratic Constitution to make welfare policies for economically poor people.

As is evident here, the logic of reservation is so simple to grasp, yet so much confusion has been created around it by the elites. Reservation is one of the means to achieve social justice in society. The principle of social justice is indispensable in a stratified society. Even official figures say that Bangladesh, like other countries in South Asia, is a highly unequal society. A handful of people, who are ranked higher in status and possess a large share of resources, use all kinds of unfair means to check the entry of the marginalized into the process of decision-making. That is why, seats are reserved to ensure the entry of the marginalized groups into the process of policy-making.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who was elected from Jessore and Khulna constituencies from undivided Bengal, now part of Bangladesh on the eve of Partition or the creation of Pakistan, has fought for proportionate and effective representation of minorities throughout his life. His definition of minorities was much broader as it included both religious and historically and socially marginalized groups. Speaking on the last day of India’s Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, Dr. Ambedkar, the drafting chairman of the Constitution, underscored the indispensability of representation in any democracy in the following words: “Because I feel, however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot. The working of a Constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature of the Constitution. The Constitution can provide only the organs of the state such as the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary. The factors on which the working of those organs of the State depend are the people and the political parties they will set up as their instruments to carry out their wishes and their politics.”

At this critical moment, democratic forces stand in solidarity with the protestors against the illogical freedom fighter quota because such a social group is a creation of political elites desperate to gain political mileage. That is why there is no substantive evidence to show that the freedom fighter category as a social group is historically, socially, and educationally discriminated against. No doubt, they suffered a lot during the Liberation Movement. The principle of justice demands that they should be rehabilitated and properly compensated.

But such solidarity is not unconditional. Our solidarity cannot go along with those protestors who are opposing the quota in the language of merit. Similarly, the logic of a “minimum” quota coined by some protestors is also not democratic. Instead, the protestors should immediately give up such elitist tendencies and firmly uphold the proportionate and effective representation of all marginalized communities.

(Abhay Kumar was a student activist at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Email: debatingissues@gmail.com)

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“The allegation of violating the Labour Law against him has been proved. It appears that the allegation has not been barred by limitation (either),” said labour court judge Sheikh Merina Sultana while pronouncing the judgment, according to PTI.

Along with Muhammad Yunus, three other executives of Grameen Telecom, a social business company he founded, were awarded six months of simple or non-rigorous imprisonment. They were immediately granted one-month bail after furnishing bonds of Taka 5,000 each.

“This verdict is unprecedented,” Abdullah Al Mamun, a lawyer for Yunus, told AFP. “We did not get justice.”

It is reported that the convicted individuals are expected to appeal the verdict in the High Court.

Yunus’s supporters have described the charges against him and the firms he founded are a result of his protracted row with Sheikh Hasina’s government. Hasina accused him of “sucking blood” of the poor. The charge against Yunus and three colleagues from Grameen Telecom is that the firm violated labour laws by failing to create a workers’ welfare fund in the company. Yunus is facing as many  as 100 other charges in connection with the same.

Yunus, the 83-year-old Nobel Prize winner, who won the award in 2006, has been acclaimed for lifting millions out of poverty through his anti-poverty campaign through the Grameen Bank, a mode which was replicated across continents.

However, since 2008 when Hasina assumed power, Yunus’s nearly 50 social business firms have been through several investigations for allegedd violations of several laws. In August, 160 global figures, including former US president Barack Obama and ex-United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, published a joint letter denouncing “continuous judicial harassment” of Yunus. The letter, which was also signed by over 100 Nobel Prize winners, said they feared for “his safety and freedom”.

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Dhaka: Nearly six years after the Rohingya refugee crisis shook the world’s conscience, and with neighbouring countries responding to the humanitarian crisis, for the first time the WFP is forced to cut back its lifesaving assistance for all Rohingya living in the camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Starting 1 March, WFP will have to reduce its General Food Assistance voucher value from US$12 to US$10 per person per month, due to a US$125 million funding shortfall says a press note of the organisation.

“This is a devastating blow to the Rohingya and an equally devastating blow to the humanitarian community,” said Domenico Scalpelli, WFP Country Director in Bangladesh. “With other critical services already dwindling, the repercussions of the ration cut – even if just two dollars – will be dire.”

Unlike other vulnerable groups, the Rohingya have limited employment opportunities in the camps, relying almost entirely on humanitarian assistance to meet their food and other essential needs. Bangladesh has been barely allowing them residence, that too in questionable conditions in segregated camps.

So far, with the support of donors and partners, WFP has been providing food, nutrition and other critical assistance to Rohingya men, women and children since their exodus from Myanmar in 2017.
Today all Rohingya – nearly 1 million of them – receive food assistance via vouchers currently valued at US$12 per person per month. Families can choose from over 40 dry and fresh food items at WFP outlets throughout the camps.

Despite these concerted humanitarian efforts, 45 percent of Rohingya families are not eating a sufficient diet and malnutrition has been widespread in the camps. The Global Acute Malnutrition rate for children stands at 12 percent – just below the 15 percent WHO ‘Emergency’ threshold but still categorized as ‘Serious’. Some 40 percent of children have stunted growth and 40 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women are anaemic – all this is before the ration cut.

“With each ration cut, malnutrition will certainly rise. With each ration cut, families will increasingly resort to dangerous strategies to cope. Sadly, women, adolescent girls and children will be the worst affected. We must do everything possible to keep the vital humanitarian assistance they depend on intact,” said Scalpelli.

Without an immediate funding boost, further ration cuts to the blanket food assistance programme are also imminent into the year.
The UN’s WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food distribution in conflict-ridden societies as a way to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from these conflicts, disasters and the impact of climate change.

2017: Draconian treatment of Rohingyas in Myanmar

Human Rights Watch (HRW) had in December 2017 said that analysis of satellite images has found that Rohingya villages have been further destroyed in Myanmar’s Rakhine state during October and November. HRW said it has pinpointed 40 villages “with building destruction,” making the number of villages “that have been partially or completely destroyed” 354 since August 25, 2017. HRW said satellite images verify that several dozen buildings were burned in the same week as November 23, when Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the repatriation of refugees in Bangladesh. According to HRW, at least 118 of the 354 villages that were impacted were partly or completely destroyed after September 5, which Myanmar’s State Counsellor’s office said was the date when “clearance operations” ended. 

Background: Hate Speech & Rohingyas

Rohongyas, largely because they are economically deprived and Muslim have been at the brunt of not just physical exclusion and hunger as also the butt and target of hate speech, worldwide. In December 2021, Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have sued Meta Platforms Inc, (formerly and still better known as Facebook) for a staggering $150 billion. The community has alleged that the social media giant “did not take action against anti-Rohingya hate speech that contributed to violence.” According to a Reuters report, a class-action complaint was “filed in California on Monday by law firms Edelson PC and Fields PLLC.” It argues that the company’s failures to curb hate content as well “its platform’s design” have contributed to the on ground violence the Rohingya community has been facing. Reuters added that “in a coordinated action, British lawyers also submitted a letter of notice to Facebook’s London office”.

In response, Meta issued a statement: “We’re appalled by the crimes committed against the Rohingya people in Myanmar. We’ve built a dedicated team of Burmese speakers, banned the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military), disrupted networks manipulating public debate and taken action on harmful misinformation to help keep people safe. We’ve also invested in Burmese-language technology to reduce the prevalence of violating content.”

According to a BBC report, around 10,000 Rohingya Muslims were killed during a military crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2017. In the UK, the British law firm representing some of the refugees has written to Facebook, which the BBC reported, alleges that “Facebook’s algorithms “amplified hate speech against the Rohingya people; the firm “failed to invest” in moderators and fact checkers who knew about the political situation in Myanmar; the company failed to take down posts or delete accounts that incited violence against Rohingya; failed to “take appropriate and timely action”, despite warnings from charities and the media.

The report added that the US lawyers filed a legal complaint against Facebook in San Francisco, accusing it of being “willing to trade the lives of the Rohingya people for better market penetration in a small country in Southeast Asia.” Facebook posts that were featured in the Reuters investigation were cited in the complaint. A sample of one such post from 2013 stated: “We must fight them the way Hitler did the Jews.” The reported cited another dangerously anti-Muslim hate-mongering post that said: “Pour fuel and set fire so that they can meet Allah faster.”

According to the BBC news report, Facebook, which has more than 20 million users in Myanmar, had admitted in 2018 that it had not done enough to prevent the incitement of violence and hate speech against Rohingyas. An independent report, commissioned by Facebook, had reportedly said the platform created an “enabling environment” for the proliferation of human rights abuse. Over the years, thousands have been killed, and many Rohingyas have been forced to flee the country. The BBC recalled that in 2018, the UN accused Facebook of being “slow and ineffective” in its response to the spread of hatred online. According to the news report, “Under US law, Facebook is largely protected from liability over content posted by its users. But the new lawsuit argues the law of Myanmar – which has no such protections – should prevail in the case.”

UN points to Genocidal Intent since 2017

The United Nations has been pointing to the genocidal intent behind the forced expulsion of Myanmar’s Rohingyas since 2017, to little avail. Denied citizenship status and classified as illegal immigrants, Rohingya Muslims have been the target of repeated violence with state connivance in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. The continuing persecution has forced the Rohingyas to flee and seek refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia. From Bangladesh, an estimated 40,000 Rohingyas have sought shelter in India. An approximate 40,000 or so such refugees are lodged in India but constantly face vilification and physical threat with the elections, twice over a rigid, far right regime at the centre headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Vilification in India

A good example is the propaganda unleashed against them y high officials of the union government. The government even informed the Lok Sabha today, on August 10, 2021 that some Rohingya migrants have been “indulging in illegal activities, without specifying the said reports or the kind of alleged illegal activity.” This despite the fact that during the crisis in India’s capital with mass deaths, it was Rohingya refugees among dozens of good Samaritans who assisted in timely aid even cremations. The Minister of State in the Home Ministry, Nityanand Rai added that all foreign nationals who enter into the country without valid travel documents are treated as illegal migrants. His answer read, “There are reports about some Rohingya migrants indulging in illegal activities.”

Rohingyas have been facing discrimination, violence, fear of persecution in their home state of Myanmar, which is a Buddhist majority country, forcing them to flee. Known as one of the world’s most persecuted ethnic groups, almost 40,000 Rohingya refugees are scattered across different Indian states at present, out of which only 16,500 are reportedly registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

According to a report in Voice of America News, Hussain Ahmad, a Rohingya rights activist based on Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, has stated that the Rohingya refugees are being unfairly harassed by the Indian authorities. He said, “Indian police are asking for travel documents from these refugees who are on the run, scared of their lives. How will the stateless Rohingya refugees be able to produce Burmese passports or Indian visas?”

VoA News also quoted Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch saying, “India knows well that the Rohingya are one of the most persecuted communities in the world. Nearly a million are refugees in Bangladesh. A few that have arrived in India need to be protected and not persecuted again. This is a responsibility of the Indian authorities under the refugees convention as well… For political reasons we find that the Rohingya are being targeted largely because the Hindu nationalist government….tends to persecute all Muslims, including Rohingya refugees.”

The recent Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 also does not provide any relief to Rohingya Muslims who have fled from Myanmar over the years, rendering them stateless.

In India, providing some succour to these refugees is a man from Kerala. Citizens for Justice and Peace had interviewed him in 2018.

Related:

40 Rohingya villages burned since October: HRW
A Ray of Hope for all Refugee Communities in India
“Genocidal intent” in Human Rights violations committed against Rohingya in Myanmar: UN
UN chief concerned over India’s plan to deport Rohingya Muslims
40 Rohingya villages burned since October: HRW

The post Cut in WFP funding threatens Rohingyas with hunger, deprivation: Bangladesh appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In Bangladesh’s northern Thakurgaon district, 14 idols in 12 temples were vandalized by unidentified extremists on Sunday. Khairul Anam, officer-in-charge of Baliadangi police station informed the media that the temples were located at Dhantala, Paria and Charul unions in the Baliadangi upazila.

Dhantala union Puja Ujjapon Committee general secretary Jotirmoy Singh said, “We have been offering Puja in the temples for about fifty years. No untoward incidents took place during the years. We demand justice and immediate arrest of those involved in vandalism,” reported India Today.

Some idols were destroyed while some were found in ponds in the temple premises. A hindu community leader Samar Chatterjee asserted that the region is known for its inter religious harmony and no such incident had taken place in the past. He also said that the Muslim community does have any disp;ute with them and was unable to pin point who the culprit could be.

“It clearly appears to be a case of an orchestrated attack to disrupt the peaceful situation of the country,” Thakurgaon’s police chief Jahangir Hossain told reporters at one of the temple sites, reported NDTV.

The Dhaka Tribune described the incident as a “terrible shame” and wrote in its editorial, “To hear that Hindu idols were vandalized, once again, in over a dozen temples in Baliadangi upazila of Thakurgaon is proof of the intolerance that a portion of our population still fosters — and that is a terrible shame in and of itself.

Another newspaper in Bangladesh, The Daily Star, demanded that action be taken against the culprits and in its editorial wrote that “Did they want to create an atmosphere of fear among the Hindu community of Thakurgaon? Or did the criminals simply hold the misguided notion that by desecrating sacred symbols of other religions, they are actually showing love for their own? Whatever might have been their twisted reason, we must send them a strong and clear message that every person in the country has the right to practice their own religion, and that this right is guaranteed by our constitution.”

In October last year some unidentified people vandalized an idol of a deity at a Hindu temple in Bangladesh’s Jhenaidah. The issue of temple attacks was brought forth in the bilateral meet with Bangladesh in November last year, by Home Minister Amit Shah.

Related:

Gujarat 1992: Hindus who saved a dargah in Surat

“Hindu scriptures offer no moral teachings,” says Bangladeshi hardliner

The post Bangladesh: Unidentified persons vandalize 12 temples appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Tarique Rahman, joint convener of Bangladesh Gono Odhikar Parishad, the party in opposition, has started attacking its Hindu minority by making disparaging comments and hurting religious sentiments ahead of the national election in Bangladesh. This group of hardliners is allegedly backed by militant outfit Jamaat-E-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the attack on minorities is an attempt to overthrow the government in the upcoming election, which has largely maintained a secular stand during its tenure.

“Scriptures of the Hindu religion do not offer any moral teaching — all the religious scriptures are porn scripts,” Tarique Rahman, a close aide of Nurul Haque Nur, said in a Facebook live. In the video which has been widely circulated on social media Rahman said that Hindu scriptures do not offer any moral teaching and are porn texts.

Nurul also appeared during a live stream and reportedly said, “Yes, I have indulged in a conspiracy with foreign intelligence agencies, including Mossad .. In my bid to unseat the government, I held a meeting with Mendi N Safadi, a Mossad agent, to hatch a conspiracy to unseat this government”.

Related:

Karnataka: Hate speech increased four folds, moral policing by hindu vigilantes on the rise

TN Dalit Youth Suicide: CJP seeks protection for victim’s family

Times Now channel pulled up for communal report on “Zameen Jihad” in Haldwani

The post “Hindu scriptures offer no moral teachings,” says Bangladeshi hardliner appeared first on SabrangIndia.