Desk:The Bangladesh government has once again attempted to downplay attacks on Hindus, labeling them as politically motivated rather than communal. A police report released on Saturday stated that the attacks were not of a communal nature. The Bangladesh police have introduced a WhatsApp number to stay in contact with the minority community and directly receive complaints regarding communal violence. This statement was issued by the press wing of Interim Government’s Chief Advisor, Mohammad Yunus.
According to the statement, the police investigation followed claims made by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, which alleged that between August 5 last year, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government was ousted, and January 8 this year, 2,010 incidents of communal violence were recorded. The report claimed that 1,769 of these incidents involved attacks and vandalism. The police have registered 62 cases based on these allegations and arrested at least 35 suspects.
However, the statement asserts that investigations revealed most of these incidents were politically motivated rather than communal. The police findings suggest that 1,234 incidents were political in nature, 20 were communal, and at least 161 claims were false or fabricated. According to the council’s claims, 1,452 of these incidents (82.8% of the total) occurred on August 5, 2024, when Hasina’s government was overthrown. At least 65 incidents occurred on August 4, and 70 on August 6.
Claim of Action Taken
The statement further claims that between August 5, 2024, and January 8, 2025, the police received 134 additional complaints of communal violence, aside from those filed by the council. It mentioned that the police prioritized these complaints, registering 53 cases and arresting 65 suspects. In total, since August 4, the police have registered 115 cases related to communal violence, with at least 100 people arrested.
Before preparing the report, the Bangladesh police compiled a list of alleged communal incidents based on the council’s claims and spoke with every individual who had faced violence. They visited all the locations and establishments where these incidents reportedly took place. The statement also mentioned that the police have now issued a WhatsApp number to receive complaints about communal violence and maintain communication with leaders of the minority community.