Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council

Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council
বাংলাদেশ হিন্দু বৌদ্ধ খ্রিষ্টান ঐক্য পরিষদ
AbbreviationBHBCUC
Formation1988
FounderChitta Ranjan Dutta
TypeNon-Profit Organization
FocusRestoration of equal rights for all citizens of the nation
Location
MethodAdvocacy to governments, working with other NGOs
Official language
Bangla
General Secretary
Rana Dasgupta
Websitebhbcop.org

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ হিন্দু বৌদ্ধ খ্রিষ্টান ঐক্য পরিষদ) is a non-profit organization established to protect the human rights of the religious minorities of Bangladesh.[1] The members and public donations are the source of funds for this charitable organization.

Rana Dasgupta is the general secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council.[2]

History

This non-partisan organization was initially founded in 1975 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, by Chitta Ranjan Dutta, a retired major general of the Bangladesh Army. It was officially founded in June 1988 by Chitta Ranjan Dutta[3] with other two current presidents of BHBCUC, Bodhipal Mohathero[4][5] and T.D. Rosario.[6][7]

On 9 June 1988, Islam was declared as the state religion with the Eighth Amendment Act of the Constitution of Bangladesh; on that very day BHBCUC was formed, although announcement was done sometimes later. 9 June was observed as Black Day by BHBCUC. Later, in 1990, the non-resident Bangladeshi minorities of North America had formed a division of BHBCUC in New York.[8] A Canadian chapter was formed in 2005 in Toronto. It also has branches in European countries like France.

Activism

See also: Islamization in Bangladesh and 2024 Bangladesh anti-Hindu violence

Following the removal of Hasina, a power vacuum ensued, marked by attacks on Hindus and other minorities, and the torching of the Indian government-run Indira Gandhi Cultural Center in Bangladesh's national capital Dhaka.[9] There have been thousands of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, with Hindu homes, businesses and places of worship being targeted en masse.[10] The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported that from 4 to 20 August, a total of 2,010 incidents (including 69 temples) of attacks on minorities took place across the country within this 16-day period, including the homes of 157 families were attacked, looted, vandalised and set on fire while some of their businesses were also attacked, looted and vandalised.[11] Five Hindus were killed in these attacks, of which at least two were confirmed as Awami League members.[12]

According to a UN Human Rights Office report, these abuses also affected Ahmadiyya Muslims, Hindus, and indigenous people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts.[13] In April 2024, the council shared a notice purportedly issued by the Bangladesh Jamiyat Ahl-Al-Hadith, claiming the organization offered monetary rewards for converting Hindu women to Islam. Subsequent investigations by fact-checking organizations, including Rumor Scanner, determined the notice was fabricated and digitally altered. The Bangladesh Jamiyat Ahl-Al-Hadith also issued a statement denying any such notice.[14] Following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, the council reported that nine Hindu men were killed in communal violence. However, an investigation by Netra News found no definitive evidence linking these deaths to religious or communal motives, suggesting they were instead due to political retribution, mob violence, or criminal activities.[15] However, according to Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star, houses and businesses belonging to the Hindu community were attacked in 27 districts. According to the report, the homes of Pradip Chandra Roy and Muhin Roy were vandalised and looted in Telipara village and Thana road, respectively in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.[16]

India officially repeatedly brought up and condemned the issue of Systematic persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and the risk to safety of Non-Muslim minorities in Bangladesh in December 2024 and again in April 2025.[9][17]

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, highlighted the killing of a Hindu community leader Bhabesh Chandra Roy and reminded the Yunus-administration of its responsibility of protection of minority rights, "We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh. This killing follows a pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities under the interim government even as the perpetrators of previous such events roam with impunity".[17]


See also

References

  1. ^ Chowdhury, G. R. (5 March 2010). "Unnatural Disasters: Pogroms have killed thousands of Bangladeshi minorities; millions more are refugees in India". Cultural Survival Quarterly (Spring 1992). Cultural Survival. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  2. ^ "We live in 'constant fear', want PM Modi to take it up: Bangladesh Hindus". The Indian Express. 2015-06-06. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  3. ^ Parvez, Kamran. চিত্তরঞ্জন দত্ত [CR Dutta]. Gunijan Trust (in Bengali). Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  4. ^ The late Bodhipal Mohathero, more precisely Bodhipala Mahathera was the Buddhist monks-elder of Bangladesh. He was a Chakma.
  5. ^ "Bangladesh: Information on the Bangladesh, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council (Bangladesh, Hindu, Buddhist Christian Oihya Parishad); on the name of the general secretary; and on whether the organization issues membership letters to individuals who have left the country". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 1 March 1996. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh: Information on the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council: Executive members, duties, function and role of the group and its relationship with the government (1999-2001)". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 5 April 2002. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Bangladesh: The Hindu Buddhist Christian Association of Comilla; names of executive members (1992-1995)". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 29 September 2000. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  8. ^ "About Us – BHBUC-Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist & Christian Unity Counsil, USA". Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  9. ^ a b India expressed concerns about minority safety in Bangladesh during foreign secretary Vikram Misri's visit, https://www.Hindustan Times, 10 Dec 2024
  10. ^ Johnson, George (10 August 2024). "Bangladesh Hindus targeted in attacks after fall of PM". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  11. ^ "2,010 communal attacks in Bangladesh since August 4 to 20: Oikyo Parishad". The Daily Star. 19 September 2024. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Far-right spreads false claims about Muslim attacks in Bangladesh". BBC News. 18 August 2024. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024. Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a non-profit established to protect minority human rights, reported five Hindu people killed. Two have been confirmed as Awami League members.
  13. ^ "Bangladesh: UN report finds brutal, systematic repression of protests, calls for justice for serious rights violations". OHCHR. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  14. ^ "Fake Notice Claims Rewards for Converting Hindu Women in Bangladesh". Rumor Scanner. 2024-04-04.
  15. ^ "Claims of sectarian motives in nine Hindu deaths falter under scrutiny". Netra News. 2024-10-30.
  16. ^ Hindu houses, businesses attacked in 27 districts, The Daily Star, 6 August 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Systematic persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh under interim government: India". The Hindu. 19 April 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Hindu_Buddhist_Christian_Unity_Council