Hundreds of Hindus in Bangladesh have gathered along the Indian border, hoping to cross over, security officials reported on Thursday, just days after a student-led uprising led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Following Hasina’s removal, some businesses and homes owned by Hindus were attacked, as they are perceived by some in predominantly Muslim Bangladesh to have been closely aligned with her government.
“Several hundred Bangladeshi nationals, mostly Hindus, have assembled at various points along India’s border with Bangladesh,” Amit Kumar Tyagi, deputy inspector general of India’s Border Security Force (BSF), told AFP.
In West Bengal state, more than 200 people were “standing close” to the frontier, while over 600 Bangladeshis were reported to be gathered in no-man’s land in Jalpaiguri district, Tyagi added.
“With no fence in this area, BSF personnel formed a human shield to keep them away,” he stated. Officers also fired a blank shot into the air to disperse the crowds.
Hasina, 76, who had been in power since 2009, resigned on Monday after over a month of deadly protests. While the security situation in Bangladesh has since improved significantly, there have been reports of retaliatory attacks against her supporters and party officials.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported earlier this week that at least 10 Hindu temples were attacked by “miscreants” on Monday. A hospital official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that one man from the Hindu community was beaten to death in the southern Bagerhat district.
In India, where Hasina is currently taking refuge, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar stated on Tuesday that the government is “monitoring the situation” concerning minorities.
