New Delhi: Bangladesh has been rocked by protests yet again after a video of the alleged rape of a 21-year-old Hindu woman from Muradnagar in the Comilla district went viral on social media Sunday. A Bangladesh Nationalist Party-affiliated local politician, Fazor Ali, has been apprehended in the case.
The assault galvanised protests across university campuses in Bangladesh. Students at Dhaka University marched in solidarity with the survivor, and minority students from the university’s Jagannath Hall dormitory held processions calling for justice.
Opposition BNP’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir demanded “exemplary punitive action” against those responsible.
A two-judge High Court bench has demanded the immediate removal of the viral footage from online platforms and instructed authorities to ensure the survivor’s security and medical treatment.
According to local reports, the police said the victim was visiting her paternal home in Muradnagar Upazila when Fazor Ali allegedly forced his way into her residence late Thursday night, 26 June. Locals who heard noises also reached the spot and apprehended the man. They beat him up before taking him to a hospital. Subsequently, he escaped before police could arrive to take him into custody.
Some local reports, however, have suggested that the police only acted after public outcry grew following the wide circulation of the video.
Political fallout & minority rights
The case has reignited accusations of intolerance under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Sajeeb Wazed, an adviser to ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, decried an uptick in mob violence, terrorism, and sexual crimes targeting minority communities since August 2024. On 5 August that year, the Hasina government fell after a long period of protests, leading to deaths and injuries reportedly caused when the government responded to the demonstrations.
Wazed wrote on X: “Since August 2024, Yunus has emboldened the perpetrators of atrocities, mass killings, and human rights violations against Hindus by dismissing them as merely ‘political issues’. Mob after mob continues to strike, yet they keep calling them ‘pressure groups’—pressure groups to whom Bangladesh is now held hostage. And as for their godfathers—we all know exactly who they are and what their identities are. Yunus and his allies are directly responsible for every rape incident, not just in Muradnagar, but across the entire country.”
Following the collapse of the Hasina-led Awami League government in August 2024, Bangladesh has reportedly seen a surge in violence targeting minorities. Allegations that the subsequent appointment of Yunus as interim head has added to mounting tensions have also grown.
Last month, a protest by various groups, including the minority alliance Sammilita Sanatan Parishad, formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club, Dhaka, and marched to decry ongoing violence and abuse of religious and ethnic minorities.
During a weekly press briefing in New Delhi Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, underscored that the Yunus government should safeguard Hindus and other minority groups. Speaking about alleged damage to a Durga temple in Bangladesh, he said, “Let me emphasise: the interim government of Bangladesh bears the responsibility to protect Hindus, their property, and their places of worship.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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