A police officer aimed his weapon at protesters in Dhaka on Monday after violence broke out during protests against Sheikh Hasina and her government. (Photo/AP)
According to sources, there have been nearly 4,000 attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh since January 2013. Senior intelligence officials believe the attacks were nothing more than acts of terror controlled by Sheikh Hasina
Senior intelligence sources told CNN-News18 on Wednesday that attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh are a major cause for concern for the Indian government, even as other governments consider minorities unsafe there.
According to local media and Hindu minority staff in Dhaka, at least 97 places in the community have been attacked amid ongoing political unrest. These include ISKCON temple, Kali Mandir and Hindu residences.
“Hindu MP Haradan Roy was also killed by protesters,” a source said. “The home of famous musician Rahul Ananda was looted and set on fire. The militants burned it in a very systematic manner. Indira Gandhi Cultural Center and Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country on a military plane and landed in India on Monday, as the army stepped in to fill a power vacuum after long-standing protests over employment quotas erupted.
According to sources, there have been nearly 4,000 attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh since January 2013.
“These are systematic attacks with one mentality and keeping two things in mind: attacks by Islamists on Hindus, who are close to Sheikh Hasina because of her proximity to India. After Hasina left The ongoing communal violence is not spontaneous but is well thought out and well planned,” a source said.
“We have discovered that multiple factors play a significant role in these ongoing attacks,” sources said.
“State agencies are not taking action because they have decided to let this situation continue for some time. Now Islamic groups have found a reason to attack Hindus because India's policies are anti-Muslim and we have a reason to attack Hindus,” a source said explain.
Senior intelligence officials believe the attacks were nothing more than acts of terror controlled by Hasina.
“Now these attackers have an open agenda and the state is sponsoring it for the long term so that more negotiations can take place or they can offer help to the international community. Because Saudi Arabia funds radical Islam and many Bangladeshis Chinese are heading to West Asia after the oil boom and this will increase in the coming days. They are also doing well in the Gulf and they want radical Islam in Bangladesh,” a source said. “Many of them came back in old age with great wealth and now want to spread their religion through radicals.”
In the past 15 years, many radical political parties and groups have emerged in Bangladesh, such as Ansarullah Bangladesh, Liberation Party, Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), etc.
“These groups have attacked secular intellectuals, terrorized Hindu communities and launched serious terrorist attacks, including in Dhaka. Hasina's government wanted to suppress them, but it was not enough.
Stay up to date on the latest unrest in Bangladesh with our live blog.
