Brussels, April 9 (IANS) Bangladesh's persistent failure to ensure effective restitution for Hindus, coupled with escalating attacks on the minority communities during the 18-month tenure of the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, has sparked concerns over the protection of their fundamental rights, a report detailed this week.
According to Brussels-based EU Reporter, the situation could test the ruling Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and his stated commitments to minority rights and protection, as well as his ability to retain the trust of the Hindu community, which played a notable role in his party's electoral support base during the February elections.
"Rahman's ascension sparks hope among Bangladesh's minority Hindu community, which faced relentless attacks during the interim regime that began in August 2024. After the Awami League, a political party considered more secular than its rivals, was banned from contesting the 2026 elections, the BNP quickly stepped in to fill the void with its pledge to protect minorities," the report detailed.
"However, the party's past treatment of minority communities continues to be a source of controversy. In 1977, the BNP's founder, Ziaur Rahman, was responsible for removing the word 'secularism' from the Constitution, and party members have repeatedly been associated with violence against the country's Hindu minority," it added.
According to the report, despite the BNP's previous poor record on secularism and minority protection, Hindus voted overwhelmingly for the party, considering it the only viable alternative following the ban on the Awami League in February elections.
While the Bangladesh Prime Minister has pledged to restore law and order and guarantee equal rights for all religious groups, the report said, he has remained notably silent on the "painful legacy of property seizures targetting primarily Hindus" — a long-standing historical injustice yet to be resolved.
"The institutional entrenchment of the Vested Property Act — a longstanding piece of legislation widely criticised as discriminatory for enabling the confiscation of Hindu-owned property — has been cited by rights groups and researchers as a key factor behind the dramatic decline of Bangladesh’s Hindu population share," it noted.
The report highlighted that Bangladesh's Vested Property Act 1947 traces its origins to discriminatory laws enacted in Pakistan following the 1947 partition, underscoring the continuity of discriminatory laws.
Despite Bangladesh gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971 with India's support, it said, Hindus continued to encounter significant challenges in the years that followed.
"In 1974, the government reinforced earlier provisions under the Vested and Non-Resident Property (Administration) Act (VPA). Although the stated objective was to take control of properties formerly owned by Pakistanis and Hindus who fled during the Liberation War, the law was widely used against Hindus still residing in Bangladesh," the report mentioned.
“In many cases, even a temporary departure was enough for authorities to seize property, and the absence of a single family member sometimes led to the confiscation of the entire family's assets," it stated.
Despite the certain legal reforms in the discriminatory law during the tenure of the Awami League government, human rights groups note that the actual restoration of property of Hindus has remained limited, with thousands of cases mired in unresolved legal disputes.
--IANS
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