Dissecting the wounds

By the time this piece goes to the press, Bangladesh would be completing almost one month since multiple Durga Puja images and Pandals were systematically desecrated, amounting to an unprecedented level of sacrilege. Apart from such shameful, condemnable and hate assaults on Durga Puja idols, the Islamic fanatics also attacked Hindus and destroyed their property through arson and use of force. Also, the well-planned onslaught on Hindu targets by Islamic extremists succeeded in fostering a communal divide between the majority Muslims and a minuscule number of Hindus — whose population is dwindling for the last 74 years on account of communal attacks, forced conversion and grabbing of properties, forcing many Hindus to migrate to India and other places.

This time around, however, a strong political leadership under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been in place, which espouses secularism and looks after the wellbeing of Hindus notwithstanding allegations by a section of party cadres that several members of the ruling Awami League (AL) were complicit in terrorising Hindu's to dispossess them from their property. It is also alleged that such party workers have the malicious intention to usurp the lands and Hindu houses, as they are convinced, albeit by their own estimation, that even if the Hindus are intimidated and coerced, they are unlikely to protest and, in any case, reeling under fear, Hindus will vote for Hasina and her party.

Fortunately, PM Hasina has vowed to hunt down the perpetrators who targeted the Hindus during Durga Puja. It is important for the party workers to instil a sense of safety and confidence amongst the petrified Hindus. The Prime Minister has to keep up the pressure on her partymen so that they are not complacent — allowing the repeat of such attacks during Durga Puja or any other occasion.

Charges were levelled by the party workers against certain factions for being hand in glove with the religious extremists during last month's destructive incidences. Some even feel that several party workers were also in cahoots with law enforcing agencies, as, without any collaboration between them, such a large-scale 'pre-planned' offensive couldn't possibly have been executed.

Dwelling upon the law-and-order agencies, it would appear that every organ of the law-and-order apparatus proved ineffective, rudderless and punched with inertia — thus leading to over 70 Durga Puja places coming under blatant attacks by the desperate fanatics. Let's take the Intelligence machinery. Bangladesh has the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), headed by a serving Major General of the Bangladesh Army. It is thought to be a professional force having inherited intelligence statecraft from undivided Pakistan in 1971; it more or less has the same pattern of intelligence gathering and dissemination. Then, there is National Security and Intelligence (NSI), which is again headed by a very senior serving police officer with a huge number of officials and field intelligence operators to garner intelligence and alert the government well on time for any pre-emptive action to neutralise threats. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), is yet another crack force dominated by a large number of armed forces. This outfit is believed to have an invisible intelligence cell for catering to intelligence collection. It is really hard to conceive that none of these outfits, with their large network of intelligence, had any whiff of the coming of communal frenzy with a violent streak. This argument holds water as Durga Puja dates are known well ahead of the almanac, and therefore, the intelligence establishment should have known about it. Presuming the looming threat was in the knowledge of the intelligence setups, it's difficult to accept that the enforcing authorities slept with the cautionary reports. Perhaps a thorough and transparent judicial probe can be ordered by the government and, as a deterrent, those responsible for inaction can suitably be reprimanded. This is suggested not to cast aspersions on the intelligence agencies but to reach to the bottom of the issue to prevent any further ugly recurrence of the October chain of unfortunate happenings.

Other than the perceived failure of intelligence agencies, the district police field officials and their superiors also did not come up to professional expectations and a 'free for all' was committed causing the loss of lives and wanton destruction of Hindu property, apart from hurting the religious sentiments through large-scale sacrilege.

The political leadership, party workers, security and intelligence agencies etc. must apportion the blame for such blatant attacks taking a secular Bangladesh into regression. This trend must stop. Presently, many politicians in Bangladesh are finding no connection between these attacks and the Taliban, but the security experts are convinced that there are extraneous powers behind such reprehensible occurrences. This assessment doesn't appear to be wide off the mark.

It is, therefore, expected that the Bangladesh government would take necessary measures to remedy the malaise of rising communalism and related violence. This becomes imperative to keep the image of Sheikh Hasina and her government intact among the global fraternity. Having said this, the academia and the cultural and liberal lot in Bangladesh deserve commendation. This is because they were far too quick to apply balm to heal the wounded religious sentiments of the Hindu minority. More specifically, they came out on streets, defying the might of the zealots, to protest against the communal flare-up. This obviously provided some succour to the religiously hurt Hindu minority — assuaging their sentiments. The ruling party, as well as the opposition, must take similar recourse to allay the prevailing fear among the Hindus so that harmony prevails. This matter, being so sensitive, merits very delicate handling to avoid any repercussions outside Bangladesh. As it is, the whole world is watching the aftermath of the attack on the Hindus and they may not be muted for long. The UN has already asked for an independent enquiry.

The writer is a retired IPS officer, a security analyst and a former National Security Advisor to the PM of Mauritius. Views expressed are personal