What moral right does India have to lecture Bangladesh?

"What are your thoughts about atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh?” Before I could react, Uncleji took a swipe at me: “Secular Indians like you are always so vocal about Muslims here; however, when it comes to Kashmiri Pandits and Bangladeshi Hindus, your silence is deafening!”

I replied, “Uncle, I have spoken up often enough, but since you’re asking, I’ll say it again. I just hope you’re willing to listen to some bitter truths.”

“Why not?” came his offhand response, daring me to rise to the bait. And so, I spoke my piece.

“It is undeniably true that minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, have been victims of atrocities and injustice. Bangladesh opted for a secular state after liberation but following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, secularism came under attack from the Muslim majority. Bangladesh was formally declared an Islamic state in 1988. Its constitution continued to guarantee freedom of religion and other rights to the Hindus, who are better off in Bangladesh than in Pakistan or Afghanistan. The bitter truth, however, is that Hindus there are second-class citizens.

“It is worth recalling that in British India, most of the landlords in what was then East Bengal happened to be Hindus. That explains why Hindus there were not educationally or economically backward be it in 1947 or 76 years later. Despite this, many of them were forced to flee and take shelter in India because of discriminatory practices. In 1951, Hindus constituted 22 per cent of the population in East Pakistan. By 1974, the Hindu population had declined to 13.5 per cent and today only eight per cent of the population of Bangladesh are Hindus.

“Daily incidents of violence against Hindus on political and religious grounds cannot be denied; nor the flaring up of anti-Hindu riots from time to time. It is also a fact that Hindus felt relatively more secure with the Awami League in power. Their sense of insecurity increased when other parties took over. The government headed by Sheikh Hasina was accused of ‘minority appeasement’, of giving them a free pass.

"Anger against Sheikh Hasina found an outlet in mass violence against minorities, including Hindus. There is no dispute over the fact that radical Muslim outfits added fuel to the fire with their inflammatory rhet-oric and that Hindus and Hindu temples did come under attack after 5 August 2024. Everybody who is in favour of communal harmony and justice must stand by the Hindus of Bangladesh.”

“Precisely!” said Uncleji triumphantly. “That’s exactly what I was saying!”

To save myself from this hasty consensus, I said: “But you must be ready to listen to the bitter truth about what you have been doing. The bitter truth is that protests and demonstrations by Hindus in India expressing solidarity with Hindus in Bangladesh are likely to do them more harm than good. Just as Arab Muslims pay lip-service to the plight of Muslims in India, the concern expressed by the Indian government smacks of hypocrisy and tokenism. Just as Arab governments have little or no empathy for Muslims in India, the Indian government couldn’t care less about Hindus in Bangladesh.

“India has neither the political will nor the ability to do anything substantial to help the Hindus of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, as in other neighbouring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka or Maldives, the most damning slur is to be called an ‘agent of India’. The government of India’s unabashed patronage of the Awami League to the exclusion of others is what led to people channelising their anger against the Indian government into acts of violence, even revenge, on the Hindu community in Bangladesh.

“Attacks on Muslims in India actually add to the insecurity of the minority Hindus in Bangladesh, making their position even more precarious. If indeed we are their well-wishers, we need to lower our decibel levels and exercise restraint in what we say and do.”

Ignoring the frown that had wrinkled Uncleji’s brow, I laid out the third bitter truth: “India has neither the moral right nor the stature to give lectures on the well-being of minorities. When other countries of the world voice their concern about the plight of minorities in India, we unhesitatingly tell them to mind their own business. How, then, can we create a stink about the plight of minorities in other countries?

"A country which chooses to keep quiet on the genocide of Muslims in Gaza, a country whose prime minister and Union ministers consider its 200 million Muslims to be infiltrators, where the government keeps mum on the mob lynchings of minorities, where the majority population rejoices in ‘bulldozer justice’ aimed at minorities — what can be a bigger hypocrisy than such a country preaching at others? These expressions of concern find credence with the lapdogs of ‘godi media’ — the rest of the world can only find them laughable.”

Uncleji looked like he could neither stomach what I said nor spew anything further. I pressed home my advantage: “The final bitter truth is the most shameful of all. The conduct of Bangladesh’s interim government has been far better than the government of India’s. Mohammad Yunus declared in his very first address to the nation that violence against Hindus must stop. If it did not, he would not agree to head the interim government. At the very first opportunity, he visited Hindu temples and assured community leaders that the interim government stood by them. He publicly pledged to ensure security for the minorities.

"Compare that with the conduct of our own prime minister. In the last 20 years, did he find time to visit Bilkis Bano? Has he ever visited the home of any victim of mob lynching and offered two words of consolation?”

Uncleji’s grim expression spoke volumes. It was time for me to wind up. “I am not suggesting that we keep quiet over what is happening in Bangladesh. But let’s begin at home. Let’s start by speaking up against atrocities and injustices here. Let’s introspect and resist the temptation of tokenism. Let’s lay our lives on the line.

“In 1946, Mahatma Gandhi travelled to Noakhali in what was then East Bengal to restore peace and end communal violence against Hindus. He risked his life doing so. He had the courage to stand up in the face of riots against Muslims in Calcutta. Truth isn’t cheap, courage doesn’t come easy."

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