Hindu Women Beaten in Bangladesh After Defending Their Land

05-11-2024

Valentina Palcovicova

South and East Asia Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

On November 1st, 2024, Muslim men trespassed onto land belonging to a local Hindu community in the Tatapara area of ​​Mangalbari in Joypurhat district and ruthlessly attacked local Hindu farmers, including women, who were protesting their land encroachment. The attackers allegedly attempted to gain access to a water body that has long been leased and utilised by the local Hindu community for fishing, which has become an essential part of their livelihood. The attackers confronted members of the Hindu community at the water body and demanded access, with some suggesting that the men may have intended to seize the land adjacent to the water body that has been leased to the Hindu community. When access to the community’s property was refused, the men began forcibly stealing fish and the altercation turned violent. In a video published by the Hindu Post, the attackers can be seen beating Hindu farmers, including women, with lathis– long iron-bound bamboo sticks used as weapons– with children present at the time and at least two women emerging with bloody faces. The injured were taken to a nearby healthcare facility for treatment, with local health officials confirming that some sustained moderate to serious injuries. The unprovoked attack amplifies concerns about property-based disputes arising from deep-seeded religious tensions in the areas, putting unrelenting pressure on authorities to respond. 

This recent violence has added to broader concerns about interfaith tensions in the region, highlighting issues of access to resources, land rights, and religious co-existence. Hindus in Bangladesh have stated that they have faced ongoing harassment and threats related to their properties. This attack is one of at least two thousand attacks against the minority Hindu community since August 5th, which have heightened Hindus’ fears about their ability to live safely in Bangladesh. On Friday, 1 November, tens of thousands of Hindus rallied at a major intersection in the southeastern Bangladeshi city of Chattogram to protest their rights and demand action by the interim Muslim-majority government. Further demonstrations on Hindus’ rights also took place across the country that day. Hindus comprise approximately 8 percent of Bangladesh’s nearly 170 million people, 91 percent of whom are Muslim. 

Human rights groups, including Global Human Rights Defence, have highlighted the Bangladeshi government’s responsibility under international law, and have urged the local government to ensure that all citizens, regardless of faith, have equal access to resources and are justly protected. The the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Bangladesh ratified in 1979 and 2000 respectively, mandate that the Bangladeshi government take steps to ensure that all individuals are equally protected under law, with specific requirements to ensure that minority groups are able to safely practice their religion and culture. 

The attack on Hindu women defending their land in Joypurhat underscores the urgent need for governmental intervention to address the rising incidents of violence against minority communities in Bangladesh. With property rights and religious freedom increasingly at risk, calls for protection are growing louder, both within Bangladesh and internationally. In the coming weeks, all eyes will be on the authorities to see if these voices will be met with decisive action, ensuring that such tragic events do not become a norm for Bangladesh’s religious minorities.

Sources and further reading:

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (adopted 16 December 1966, entered into force 23 March 1976) 999 UNTS 171 https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights accessed 23 November 2024.

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (adopted 21 December 1965, entered into force 4 January 1969) 660 UNTS 195 https://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/cerd accessed 23 November 2024.

Minority Rights Group International, ‘Hindus in Bangladesh’ https://minorityrights.org/communities/hindus/#:~:text=The%20Hindu%20population%20of%20Bangladesh,rights%20abuses%20against%20Hindu%20communities accessed 23 November 2024.

Sheikh Sabiha Alam, ‘Hindu Homes, Temples in Bangladesh Attacked over Facebook Post’ (AP News, 19 October 2021) https://apnews.com/article/bangladesh-hindu-minority-attacks-hasina-yunus-beaddefd93f1b9dcf14d287543b023f5 accessed 23 November 2024.

YouTube, ‘Bangladesh: Violence Against Hindus’ (YouTube, 20 November 2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcL5T2j9cAo accessed 23 November 2024.