The incident occurred at a girls’ secondary school in Daspara and attracted attention due to videos that circulated on social media. Hindu students and parents ask for more security. Violence against minorities increased after the resignation of Sheikh Hasina: A thousand Christian schools in the country are also at risk. Journalist Mostofa Feroz: “This country belongs to everyone.”
Rangpur () – Last week, Hindu students at the Daspara girls’ secondary school in Rangpur, northern Bangladesh, were ordered to wear the hijab and were prohibited from reading the Gita, the most important sacred text of Hinduism. The decision was immediately condemned and responsibility was attributed to two teachers, who were suspended. The episode sparked protests by the students and their parents. On Wednesday, September 25, young Hindu girls organized a demonstration at the school to demand the resignation and punishment of the teachers involved, the director Mofizur Rahman and the Islamic religion teacher Mostafizur Rahman.
The protest, in which parents also participated, attracted considerable attention as numerous video testimonies began to circulate on social media in which students expressed their grievances, accompanied by hashtags such as #HinduLivesMatter and #WeDemandSafety. Violence against the Hindu community, the largest religious minority in the Muslim-majority country (8 percent), is nothing new. In fact, they have intensified especially in the last month after the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, because that community is considered close to her party, the Awami League, openly tolerant of minorities of any religion.
The situation required the intervention of deputy commissioner Rezaul Karim, who is also the chairman of the school management commission. Karim, along with police and military personnel, went to the school to restore order and, after an initial investigation, both the principal and the religion teacher were notified of the temporary suspension. They have also been notified that they must provide explanations in this regard within a period of 10 days. Ataur Rahman – officer-in-charge of Kotwali Metropolitan Police Station – confirmed the authenticity of the viral video and said that he was present. He assured that since then the situation in the area has stabilized. At the initiative of the deputy commissioner, a commission of inquiry was formed to continue the in-depth investigation. The outcome is awaited while the school community remains mired in controversy.
The accused teachers have denied the charges against them. In statements to Joynul Abden, a Muslim, stated: “Islam does not impose religion on anyone. Just as no one can be prohibited from wearing the hijab, no one should be forced to wear it.” Journalist Mostofa Feroz expressed his concern in Facebook: “This is a deeply regrettable and alarming incident. Following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina’s government, some may believe that the country will move towards an Islamic State, but they must remember that this country belongs to everyone. Forcing Hindu schoolgirls to wear hijab is completely wrong and provocative.”
Some specialists warn that if the government of Muhammad Yunus does not confront these incidents of Islamic radicalism, Bangladesh could have a future similar to that of Afghanistan or Pakistan. Christians run nearly a thousand schools and colleges in the country. A Catholic teacher from Dinajpur, a district near Rangpur, on condition of anonymity told that in Church-run schools the number of students wearing burqas and hijabs to replace the school uniform has increased. He expressed fear that if a political party like the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami takes power, it could impose rules that include requiring non-Muslims to wear the hijab or burqa.
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