India must intervene in the Bangladesh matter because frankly it’s too much now

Islamophobia exists. Hindu extremism exists. Hyper-nationalism exists too. What does not exist is Hinduphobia. What does not exist is the oppression of Hindus. This is exactly the reason why the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh has been ignored and Hindus are still begging for mercy there. India, now, needs to intervene to save the Hindus of Bangladesh because frankly, it is too much now.

Hindus demanding security in Bangladesh

If the reports are to be believed, the Hindu community launched a protest march on Friday to condemn the ongoing killing of Hindu teachers and rape of Hindu women in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) ordered the Home Ministry to investigate the attacks. The NHRC also asserted that “violence in a “secular country” is not acceptable under any circumstances.”

It is pertinent to note that the protests erupted in the wake of attacks on Hindu minorities in amid rumours of alleged Facebook posts maligning Islam.

On July 15, homes of Hindu minorities were set ablaze in the Sahapara area of Lohagara, Narail.

Hinduphobia in Bangladesh

Mind you, it is not the first report of oppression of Hindus in Bangladesh but it has always been a concern for India. Earlier in March this year, a mob had barged into a Hindu temple to vandalise idols and cause damage to the temple premises. The mob also assaulted people present inside the temple.

Talking about the previous year, 2021 was an year of blood, tears, fear and atrocity for Hindus in Bangladesh. Durga Puja – the biggest Hindu festival celebrated in Bangladesh, witnessed Islamists’ mobs ravaging the Hindu pandals and mandaps, desecrating the vigrahas and creating chaos that killed 4 people and left hundreds injured.

As per a report released by Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajot, 301 Hindus were hacked to death in 2020 and 2021 while 152 were killed this year alone. Shockingly, the Hindu community was attacked 1898 times in 2021, which has increased 300 times this year compared to 2020.

Moreover, 2130 Hindu idols have been vandalised by Islamic radicals in Bangladesh in 2021. Islamists attacked 273 temples in Bangladesh in 2021 which is quite larger than 2020.

What needs to be done?

Let’s be honest. It is true that Bangladesh and India share close bilateral ties but religious tension has sowed mistrust and hurt the relationship. Moreover, it is Bangladesh that needs India on its side to survive as it is dependent on India for exports and imports. India, on the contrary, has risen to a level or I would say, has made itself self-sufficient in such a manner that any move against Bangladesh will hardly impact the nation.

Now that Hindu population is being massacred in Bangladesh, it is time for India to reach a conclusion and step in with a decision to teach the former a lesson of their life. Yes, CAA/NRC is an effective solution and will help India to save the community for sure, but it needs to be noted that it is a long-term solution. What India needs now is a short-term solution which is nothing but intervention.

The intervention from India’s External Affairs Ministry. There needs to be a strongly worded statement to Bangladesh for which EAM Dr S Jaishankar is quite popular. It is high time that India tells Bangladesh that it is aware of the ongoing violence against Hindus in their country. It needs to tell Bangladesh that if their Prime Minister is not able to find a solution to prevent the killings of Hindus in the nation, India will take action through economic sanctions, India knows how to teach discipline. Moreover, it can also ask Bangladesh to take back the Bangladeshis currently residing in India.

You see, India has all the advantages in the world to ask Bangladesh to stop atrocities against Hindus, and thus, it should intervene to teach the neighbouring country the lesson of its life.