Dhaka University ex-student says Hindus part of stir feel unsafe now. ‘Is this not our country also?’

Former Dhaka University student says Bangladeshi Hindu students have no one to turn to but their Muslim peers as attacks on minorities continue unabated in wake of Hasina’s ouster.

Nilay Kumar Biswas taking part in quota stir | By special arrangement

New Delhi: Former student of Dhaka University Nilay Kumar Biswas has not had a full night’s sleep since Sheikh Hasina stepped down as Bangladesh’s prime minister. 

Biswas, 26, is in Dhaka where he says he feels relatively safe, but distress calls from family and friends outside Bangladesh’s capital city keep him awake at night. According to him, Bangladeshi citizens, especially Hindus, have to watch out for each other as anarchy descends on the streets in the run-up to the formation of an interim government.

Talking to ThePrint over phone from Dhaka, Biswas said: “Most police stations remain unmanned. As murderous mobs go on a rampage, the ordinary Bangladeshi watches helplessly. The minority Hindu community feels especially helpless at such times because we are easy targets. I can’t sleep at night worrying about my family’s safety.”

Biswas, who completed his Masters in social science from the Mass Communication and Journalism Department of Dhaka University last year, said many Hindu students had participated in the quota reforms protests that eventually culminated in Sheikh Hasina’s ouster.

“It was not just Muslims, but many Hindu students wanted the quota system in government jobs to be reformed. They walked with their fellow Muslim students, sang songs of hope, gave slogans against fascism and faced the police’s lathi and bullet. Hindu students have spilled blood for a cause that united an entire nation.

“Today, as anarchy descends on Bangladesh, Hindu temples are being attacked, our houses are being looted, set on fire, our lives are in danger,” he said.

From quota reforms to ‘Hasina Out’ to anarchy

Lakhs of students from Bangladesh’s public as well as private universities and other educational institutions had brought the country to a halt over reservations in government jobs.

They were against the 30 percent quota in government jobs for children and grandchildren of freedom fighters in the 1971 Liberation War.

Under the contentious quota system, 56 per cent of entry positions in government jobs were reserved for specific “entitled” classes”.

This included 30 per cent reservation for the progeny of freedom fighters, 10 percent each for women and citizens from underdeveloped districts, 5 percent for ethnic minorities, and 1 per cent for people with disabilities. This meant that general category candidates could only apply for 44 per cent of the country’s government jobs.

Introduced in 1972 for freedom fighters and extended to their children in 1997 and grandchildren in 2010, the district-wise quota was cancelled by the Hasina-led government in 2018 in the wake of nationwide protests. In June this year, the High Court cancelled the 2018 order and reinstated the old quota system, but the Supreme Court on 21 July cut the quota for families of freedom fighters to 5 percent from 30 percent.

Biswas said many students felt it was an unjust system and took part in the popular uprising.

“Many Hindus were there in the protests. After the Hasina administration threw Bangladesh into digital darkness and a brutal police crackdown took place against students and other protestors, ordinary citizens, artistes, and even film stars came out on the streets to protest. It was not just about quota reforms then, but an overhaul of the entire system. But today, as communal riots have broken out against Hindus everywhere, the Bangladeshi Hindu is asking a simple question to her fellow citizens: Is this not our country also?” Biswas said.

As news of attacks on Hindus from across Bangladesh make global headlines, Biswas says it is the fellow Muslim that Hindus have turned to at this hour. “My Muslim friends are standing guard outside temples and Hindu houses to prevent mobs from ransacking and torching them. There are appeals on social media from well-meaning Muslim citizens to not let the country descend into darkness. It is the fellow Muslim who can protect us. Who else do we turn to,” he said.

But Biswas is worried if the interim government is not formed soon and the situation not brought under control, more lives will be lost, more damage done. Some of the anger may also be due to the fact that it is commonly believed that Hindus have supported Sheikh Hasina and her party during elections, he said, insisting that many among them took part in the protests that eventually led to her ouster.

“Bangladesh needs a new beginning with Muslims, Hindus and citizens of all other faiths. People are attempting to update the list of districts affected by communal riots. I can only pray that the list does not get any longer. Too much has been lost already,” he said.