Dhaka. A terrifying incident has come to light from Dhaka in Bangladesh where a mob attacked the house of a Hindu musician named Rahul Ananda and set his house on fire. By great fortune, his wife and son managed to escape unhurt. This is one in a series of terror incidents against minorities in the country.
The violence occurred in the wee hours of August 6, 2024, when a group of unknown attackers surrounded his house in the capital city. Sources from the locality said that the mob first vandalized the premises and then set the house on fire. Flames spread so quickly across the house and almost gutted it. Rahul Ananda said that, while he was not at home during the event, he felt very sorry for the safety of his family members and condemned the attack, calling it an act amounting to religious intolerance.
A close family source of Ananda informed that the attackers first breached the gate and proceeded to ransack the house. “They looted everything, including furniture, mirrors, and valuables. Then, they set the entire house on fire along with Rahul da’s musical instruments,” the source reported.
There have been concerns that this attack is part of a worrying trend of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh. In just a few months, several incidents about this have been reported that raise apprehensions about the safety and security of non-Muslim minorities in this overwhelmingly Muslim country. Human rights groups have attacked the tepid response by the Bangladeshi government to these attacks and are demanding sterner protection for the country’s minority communities as well as harsher crackdowns on their attackers.
The authorities have claimed to have started an investigation, but no arrests have been made so far. The police mentioned that they are trying their utmost to find out the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Leaders in the community have asked the people for peace and disciplined solidarity with their protesters to be one against the rising intolerance.
Call for Protection
With the Bangladesh military reportedly forming an interim government, we urge local law enforcement and military leaders to safeguard all religious minorities in Bangladesh, ensuring the protection of their homes, businesses, and places of worship during this period of unrest.
The HAF has appealed to the US State Department to collaborate with Bangladesh’s military and interim government to promptly protect religious minorities from violence as the country strives to restore order.
