Dhaka, Bangladesh – Following the ousting of Sheikh Hasina from power after a student-led uprising, several Indian media outlets have begun circulating reports claiming that members of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh have become targets of “Islamist forces.” Articles and videos with misleading information have proliferated on Indian media platforms and social media.
One video from Mirror Now, owned by The Times Group, titled “Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh? Massacres, Murders in Crowds,” shows violence and arson involving four houses, two of which belonged to Muslims. The title of the video is misleading as there have been no reported massacres related to the incident. Local reports reveal that one of the houses belonged to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a freedom hero of Bangladesh. Al Jazeera has verified that only two Hindus have been killed since Hasina’s fall – a police officer and an activist from her party, the Awami League.
Hindus make up about 8 percent of Bangladesh’s population of 170 million and have traditionally been strong supporters of the Awami League, which is generally viewed as secular compared to the opposition, which includes an Islamist party. However, news reports about attacks on Hindus make unreasonable claims, such as “more than a crore [10 million] refugees are expected to come to West Bengal,” made by a senior leader from Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Suvendu Adhikari.
According to political analysts like Zahed Ur Rahman, Indian media are reporting through an “Islamophobic” lens. “The movement that sparked the major uprising is a popular movement here in Bangladesh, but Indian media interprets the entire scenario through an Islamophobic lens,” Rahman states.
As Hasina fled the country, Indian media suggested that the protests in Bangladesh were influenced by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), a Pakistani intelligence agency, with claims that Bangladesh was being transformed into an Islamic state. Some media outlets have even urged the Indian government to prepare for a potential refugee crisis, speculating that Hindus would be driven out of Bangladesh.
Al Jazeera has spoken with local sources in Bangladesh’s districts, indicating that attacks on Hindu households are not driven by religious identity but rather by political affiliations. Mustafizur Rahman Hiru, a rental car driver from Narsingdi, reported that the two Hindu households attacked belonged to local Awami League leaders. “People were angry because these Hindu leaders had bullied others while the Awami League was in power. Now, with Hasina’s fall, they are facing the consequences,” he explains.
Despite reports of attacks, it has been concluded that the claims regarding assaults on Hindus in Bangladesh contain significant exaggerations. Gobindra Chandra Pramanik, a leader of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, confirms that the attacks he is aware of have been politically motivated, and there have been ten times as many attacks on Muslims associated with the Awami League.
While concerns over the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh have been reported by Indian media, images of Muslims protecting Hindu temples and homes are also circulating on social media. In Brahmanbaria, a district with a large Hindu population, residents, including students, have stepped up to protect Hindu households. “We have seen how Indian media portrays the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. The reality is quite different,” says Munshi Azizul Haque.
The Indian media coverage has raised concerns among Indian politicians and religious leaders who are demanding protection for Hindus. However, the criticism also points to how the situation in Bangladesh is being used to promote anti-Muslim rhetoric in India, particularly in light of the BJP’s ideology.
As Bangladesh faces a new political reality with the possibility of an interim government, it will be interesting to follow how the Indian media coverage evolves and what impact it will have on the situation for minorities in Bangladesh.