Beyond gestures: A test of trust for Tarique Rahman

By the time this opinion piece reaches readers, the annual Durga Puja would be over in Bangladesh, and many more idols in various Puja pandals across the country could possibly have come under attack by fanatics who have been targeting these places of worship with immense ferocity. However, due to the initiative taken by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the Hindu minority now seems to have received considerable succour and assurances of safety, thus perhaps minimising the trauma caused by attacks on their places of worship.

More specifically, with the advent of Durga Puja, Prime Minister Rahman, while extending greetings to the Hindu community in Bangladesh through a message, said that, according to Hindu beliefs, Goddess Durga comes to Earth from heaven for the welfare of the world, ensuring the well-being of her devotees, destroying evil forces and nurturing creation. Further, according to the Bangladesh Prime Minister, the destruction of evil forces and the worship of truth and beauty have given a unique significance to Sharadiya Puja. He urged Hindus to celebrate the festival across the country with enthusiasm and without any fear. Importantly, he also said that equality, human dignity and social justice are fundamental to all religions in Bangladesh.

Continuing his visits, apparently to assuage the feelings of Hindus, Tarique Rahman visited many major cities, attending Puja pandals in Rangpur, Chittagong and Rajshahi, ostensibly to instil confidence among the Hindu community. He also visited the Dharma Sabha Radha Gobinda temple in Rangpur, exchanging views with members of the Sanatan community. Notably, this time, in an unprecedented move, the government declared a five-day closure of all government establishments, enabling Hindus and other minorities to celebrate Puja with gaiety and religious freedom.

Earlier, in incidents of sacrilege in Mirzapur, Tangail, miscreants vandalised seven idols being prepared for Durga Puja at a temple between the night of September 30 and October 1, where Puja has been celebrated for the past 85 years. An official complaint was lodged with the police. In another case in Kushtia, four idols were vandalised on October 9. The repeated acts of vandalism did not end there. Earlier, a Puja mandap in Sylhet's Balaganj was attacked on September 19 after a person of another faith trespassed onto the premises and attacked several idols with a boti (a traditional cutting implement). According to the general secretary of the Puja committee, the accused repeatedly struck different idols of deities, including Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kartik.

Expressing deep regret over these incidents, the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote publicly voiced deep concern regarding the safety of the Hindu minority following the attacks on the idols. It highlighted a recurring pattern in which minority neighbourhoods and religious establishments faced threats, intimidation and vandalism immediately before major religious festivals. The organisation urged the administration to introduce stricter security measures and conduct fair investigations. In another incident targeting Hindu temples, an idol meant for Durga Puja was vandalised in Panchagarh, causing a major stir.

In the meantime, a leading Hindu group in Bangladesh has compiled figures on the number of attacks perpetrated on Hindu places of worship, including incidents of vandalism, theft and desecration during the current year. These include organised assaults in Balaganj, Nabinnagar, Sylhet, Rajbari, Panchagarh, Tangail, Faridpur, Sunamganj and other places. Allegations also include the plundering of temple property, desecration and arson. These incidents reflect a deeply disturbing trend, causing a profound sense of insecurity and hopelessness among the 13.1 million Hindus living in fear in Bangladesh. The group also assesses that the ongoing trend has now become routine rather than an exception, and the minority community has started to reconcile itself to the reality that no government, despite assurances, can ensure security for Hindus, especially during and ahead of the Durga Puja festivities. Incidentally, according to an estimate, Durga Puja is celebrated at 33,851 locations in Bangladesh. There are many civil rights groups and secular and progressive organisations whose services can be utilised by the government to control the spiralling trend of such hate-linked violence. After all, Bangladesh has a sizeable presence of forward-thinking individuals and organisations who must be willing collaborators in promoting peace and harmony.

In a separate incident, a small section of intolerant individuals was reportedly seen applying black paint to images of the iconic Rabindranath Tagore. This is particularly shocking, as Tagore had earlier lived in Kushtia (now in Bangladesh) and composed some of his finest literary works in undivided Bengal. He was also the composer of Bangladesh's national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla Ami Tomay Bhalobasi. The government of Bangladesh must, without any further delay, rein in such undesirable elements.

In sum, Tarique Rahman's significant step in reaching out to Hindus has been largely welcomed by the minority community. However, such extraordinary gestures need to be sustained and should not be seen merely as temporary measures of appeasement, as his adversaries might like to interpret them. Doing so will improve confidence and foster a sense of safety and security among Hindus, who have contributed considerably to nation-building. That said, Tarique Rahman's political opponents, particularly religious fanatics, may try to malign him by accusing him of being 'soft' towards minorities. Yet, Tarique Rahman needs to overlook these accusations and move forward, taking the minority community along with him, as that will help its members integrate better into the national mainstream and restore communal amity among different communities. Bangladesh's image on the international stage will also receive a boost, eventually helping to further strengthen Indo-Bangladesh bilateral relations.

Views expressed are personal