Bid to trample Bangladesh Hindu protests: Monk charged with sedition | Exclusive

A Hindu monk, who is among the 18 Hindus facing sedition charges in Bangladesh, said the case was aimed at finishing off the leadership that was spearheading a movement seeking guarantees for minorities in the Muslim-majority country. He said Bangladeshi Hindu organisations had set a Monday deadline for the sedition case to be withdrawn.

The sedition case was lodged over saffron flags being put up higher than an alleged Bangladeshi national flag in the New Market area of Chattogram. The incident took place on October 25, and the organisers of the rally said they had nothing to do with the flags. They have also alleged that the flag in contention was not Bangladesh's national flag but an Islamist flag.

Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, the President of Pundarik Dham in Bangladesh and one of the 18 charged with sedition over saffron flags, spoke exclusively to India Today Digital from Chattogram.

Of those 18 charged with sedition, two had been arrested. Hindu organisations have held massive rallies across districts demanding that the case be withdrawn.

"Monday is when the deadline for withdrawing the case will be over. We will decide what is the way forward," Das said.

The sedition case seemed to be one of retribution, coming at a time when Hindu organisations held a large gathering on an eight-point demand. They are demanding a tribunal to prosecute those who oppress minorities, bringing a law on minority protection, and establishing a ministry for minorities.

The case was filed by Firoz Khan at Chattogram's Kotwali Police Station on October 30. Khan is a local leader of the Bangladesh ist Party (BNP), headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

"The sedition case is against our eight-point demand. It is an attempt to finish off the leadership of the agitation," Das told India Today Digital.

The BNP leadership was clueless about Khan filing the sedition case, said Das, adding, that the party had expelled him on the orders of Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman.

"We are grateful to the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami for standing by us," said Das. He, however, raised a bigger question.

"Why can't we identify and punish a small section of perpetrators because it is a small radical group that is behind the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh," asked Das.

There have been targeted attacks on minorities after the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina regime in Bangladesh.

"We Sanatanis have been victims of atrocities in Bangladesh for the last 53 years," said Das, who is also the spokesperson for the Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, an umbrella organisation fighting for minority rights. He said it didn't matter which party was in power.

"Even the Awami League didn't act. All parties, in some way or other, encouraged the radical elements," he added.

Bangladesh has lost Hindus, but no government has tried to get them back, said Das, pointing to the falling rate of the community in Bangladesh's population mix, from 22% in 1951 (then East Pakistan) to below 8% now.

The situation remains as grim now, says Das.

"No action has been taken by the caretaker government against those accused of anti-Hindu violence, despite assurances by Prime Minister Mohammad Yunus," Das tells India Today Digital.

Fighting a fake sedition case, the deadline to withdraw, which will be over soon, the Hindu organisations in Bangladesh are ready to continue with their struggle. The case raises bigger questions that Bangladeshi society must answer to assure its minorities.