NAGPUR: Traumatized by the brutal lynchings of Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mondal, members of Bangladesh’s Hindu community say they are living in fear and have appealed to India to open its borders to help them escape what they describe as growing Islamist mob violence. Anxiety deepened on Thursday amid rising support for Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman, widely seen as a hardliner.
TOI spoke to Hindus living in Rangpur, Chittagong, Dhaka and Mymensingh via WhatsApp, with assistance from exiled Sanatan Jagran Mancha leader Nihar Haldar, who faces sedition charges along with former International Society for Krishna Consciousness monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.
“We face constant insults for our faith and cannot respond to repeated humiliation. Taunts on the street could soon turn into mob killings. We are trapped with nowhere to go,” said a 52-year-old resident of Rangpur. He added that fears have intensified over the possibility of the BNP returning to power, a party many minorities view as hostile. “India is our only escape, but the borders are tightly controlled,” he said.
A Hindu resident of Dhaka echoed the concern, saying the lynching of Dipu Das and the return of Tarique Rahman—son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia—have heightened insecurity. “If the BNP comes to power, persecution could worsen. Awami League under Sheikh Hasina was our only shield,” he said.
The unease has also reached refugee settlements in Gadchiroli and Chandrapur in Maharashtra and Pakhanjur in Chhattisgarh, home to Hindu migrants from erstwhile East Pakistan. Dr Subodh Biswas, president of Nikhil Bangla Samanbay Samiti—an organisation of former East Pakistan refugees—questioned the lack of urgency. “India is the only country Bangladesh’s Hindus can rely on in a crisis. More lives will be lost while borders remain shut. We plan protests at the border,” he said.
“There are about 2.5 crore Hindus in Bangladesh. This is not a small number. Indian Hindu organisations are offering little beyond lip service. We fear a catastrophe,” said a Sanatan Jagran Mancha activist, requesting anonymity.
Residents insist that opening the borders would not trigger a mass exodus but could offer protection. “An open border would at least provide an escape route for those facing immediate danger,” said a Hindu from Mymensingh. Another Dhaka resident noted that many families survive hand-to-mouth and may hesitate to leave despite the risks. “Livelihood comes first. But even wearing Hindu symbols invites accusations of being an ‘Indian agent’,” he said.
