Violence against minorities: Majority of incidents ‘political in nature’; ‘not communally motivated’: Bangladesh police report

Bangladesh police report on communal attacks in August 2024, majority deemed political, promises compensation for victims.

Bangladesh police have filed a report on the complaint by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Unity Council that had claimed that a total of 1,769 communal attacks had taken place during August 2024 after the departure of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but has argued that “majority” of the cases were “not communally motivated” and had “political” overtones. A report by the police has claimed that 1,234 incidents were political in nature and 20 incidents were communal.

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“Police have communicated with the persons and authorities claimed to have been the targets of the violence. The police have also visited and all and every place, establishment, and person mentioned in the report of the Council. All aggrieved persons have been requested to lodge complaints with the police. Proper security of the aggrieved people has been ensured,” Bangladesh Police report has stated informing that regular cases, general diaries and other appropriate lawful measures have been taken according to the findings of the investigations. 

However a major claim of the police which was earlier accused of failing in discharging its duties, is that “It was found that in the majority of the cases, the attacks were not communally motivated – rather, those were political in nature”.

“The police investigation revealed that 1,234 incidents political in nature and 20 incidents were communal. At least 161 claims were found to be false or untrue,” the report has claimed.

According to the report that was shared with The Hindu at least 35 culprits have been arrested and out of the 1,769 allegations police have registered 62 cases on the merits of the complaints. The police have collected the list of allegations prepared by the council and urged “all aggrieved persons” to lodge complaints with the police. The interim government led by Prof Mohammad Yunus on Saturday (January 11, 2025) asserted that it has “zero tolerance” against communal violence in Bangladesh. 

The police administration system in Bangladesh had broken down in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Hasina government. It was against this backdrop that the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Unity Council had taken the initiative to record and chronicle every act of violence against minority religious communities, especially the Hindus who were generally perceived to be supportive of the Awami League of Sheikh Hasina.