The headline of a piece in the American newspaper New York Times caused a lot of backlash on the internet. It seemed to imply that Hindus in Bangladesh were being attacked as “revenge” for their support of Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as prime minister and fled to India earlier this week.
‘Hindus in Bangladesh Face Revenge Attacks After Prime Minister’s Exit’ was the initial headline. Online, it received harsh criticism, with many pointing out that it implied Hindus were somehow guilty and deserving of violence.
Just 7.5% of Bangladesh’s 170 million people are Hindu, and since Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to neighboring India on Monday (Aug 5), mobs have targeted and murdered Hindus.
Hasina was removed from office following a large-scale student demonstration over a contentious proposal that would have given relatives of veterans of the Bangladesh Independence War access to well-paying government positions. Since Hasina’s departure, a provisional government has been established.
Approximately 300 Hindu residences, places of business, almost 20 temples, and even at least one cremation yard have all been the target of attacks, vandalism, or fire this week. There have apparently been at least three Hindu deaths, including that of a journalist and a few local officials, and about forty injuries. Almost thirty districts and subdivisions reported incidents of anti-Hindu violence.
The folk music group Joler Gaan’s frontman, Rahul Ananda, had his house burned down in the nation’s capital, Dhaka.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is allegedly supported by at least part of the rioters. Hindus were typically perceived as supporters of Hasina’s Awami League, which was viewed as secular and kept Islamic radicals at bay. Hardline Islamist organizations like Jamaat-e-Islami, whose members organized and took part in the rallies and ensuing unrest, are affiliated with Zia’s BNP.
But the report and headline in the NYT seemed to attribute their predicament to the Hindus. Numerous X users wrote scathing comments on NYT.
