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Upon discussion with some members, Bengali videos for now will not be posted any longer.
[🇧🇩] Indo-Bangla Relation: India's Regional Ambition, Geopolitical Reality, and Strategic Options For Bangladesh
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Bangladesh Defense Forum
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Playing the minority card
THERE is no hide and seek that India has huge discomfort and embarrassment about the political changeover in Bangladesh that took place on August 5. India ventilates its discomfort and embarrassment in different political, diplomatic and media presentations, talking about the concern for the...
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Playing the minority card
Mohammad Abdur Razzak 14 November, 2024, 23:13
THERE is no hide and seek that India has huge discomfort and embarrassment about the political changeover in Bangladesh that took place on August 5. India ventilates its discomfort and embarrassment in different political, diplomatic and media presentations, talking about the concern for the security of minorities, specially the Hindus in Bangladesh. Concern was first expressed in a message by the Indian prime minister on his X handle while he greeted the chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh on August 8. He also hoped ‘for early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minorities’ in Bangladesh.
Majority and minority are collective expression of population, often based on religion. Religion is one of the statistical parameters used in population census. Belongingness to a religion is not a national identity. Irrespective of religious attachment, citizens’ fundamental identity is that they are Bangladeshis.
Bangladesh has been one of the best places in the world, setting the highest example of inter-racial and inter-religious harmony. Going by religion-based statistics, majority of the people in Bangladesh practise Islam. The second largest group of people practises Hinduism. The third largest group practises Buddhism. The fourth largest group of population by religion is Christian. There are smaller groups of population who practise their own religions. People of all faiths have been practising their religious rites freely even after Islam was adopted as the state religion in 1988.
Bangladesh on June 9, 1988 adopted Islam as the state religion. On the same day, retired major general Chitta Ranjan Dutta Bir Uttam led the formation of the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council in protest at the adoption of Islam as the state religion. The official declaration was made after some days.
The organisation was formed with the objective to protect rights of religious and national minorities in Bangladesh. Over the years, it has pursued many agendas and slogans analogous to political mantras. Eventually, it has taken the shape of a politico-religious organisation under a religious banner.
After the political changeover on August 5, the organisation undertook programmes that could be likened to political activism. The organisation brought out processions in Dhaka and in outlying areas demanding safety, citing attacks on the Hindus. There was hardly any act of vengeance by the Muslims against the Hindus. There were a couple of incidents against bt the Muslims and the Hindus as well, deeply indulged in unethical political activities. The organisation attempted to portray the incidents of political vengeance as attacks on the Hindus.
Political movements in the form of street procession and sit-in by the Hindu-dominated organisation were negatively implicating the Buddhists and the Christians and they did not have a third-party political agenda to advance. Perhaps because of disagreement of the Buddhists and the Christians on motivated political activism, the organisation withdrew from partisan activities such as demonstrations on the road, rallies, etc. ISKCON, or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, came at play to play the minority card.
ISKCON Bangladesh brought out processions and held rallies in a couple of cities citing the insecurity of the Hindus. ISKCON held its largest demonstration in Chattogram and Indian mainstream media, bloggers and Youtubers flooded the channels with streams of disinformation.
ISKCON was founded in New York on July 13, 1966. The purpose of founding ISKCON in the United States under the religious banner was to present it as a non-political organisation. The underlying objective was to make it a pro-Indian lobbying group like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to advocate policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States to promote Indian interests. From the beginning, the organisation was mired in controversies and has not fared well in the United States.
ISKCON has its headquarters now in Mayapur in Nadia, West Bengal. It started operating in Bangladesh, perhaps, in the mid-1990s with its Bangladesh head office located in Dhaka. It is not certain if it was registered with any government agencies.
ISKCON built ISKCON centres in different parts of the country. Besides building centres and temples, ISKCON also took over the charge of temples from local Hindu communities. Till 2004, ISKCON Bangladesh had only 1,900 members. Now it has more than 35,000 members. In 2009 it administered 35 temples in the country. Now, there are 71 temple/temple complex/ISKCON centres in the country. According to the South Asia Journal online as of October 29, 2019, the expansion of ISKCON has made it aggressive.
Former Indian high commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla in his address at a programme at Sri Sri Radha Madhav Jiu Temple of ISKCON at Jugaltilla in Sylhet on February 22, 2018 said that the Indian government had funded two projects at the ISKCON centres in Sylhet and Savar. The amount was Tk 74 million and Tk 55.4 million respectively, as the media reported that time. It was also revealed that the Indian government is ’supportive’ of ISKCON’s activities in Bangladesh and funds projects.
There is a third organisation called the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance. According to Wikipedia, the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance is also apparently a non-political and Hindu religious organisation. It was formed as an alliance of 23 Hindu religious organisations on September 17, 2006 with an aim to bond the Hindu community, protect and serve Hinduism and to realise the religious, social, cultural and political rights of the Hindus in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance is also not free of controversies. There are allegations against the organisation of various communal incitements, with banners in the Hindi language despite being a Bangladeshi organisation and the use of “Bharat mata ki jai” (Long live, Mother India) slogan at the end of speeches and creating controversy about a number of Hindus martyred in Bangladesh’s liberation war. However, after the July uprising, while the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council and ISKCON attempted to create social vortex towards a motivated political end, as popularly said, the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance took a different position, spreading a counter-narrative to disinformation by the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council and ISKCON.
The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance chair in a couple of media interviews countered disinformation propagated by the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, ISKCON and Indian media. He noted that the Hindus suffered most persecution during the rule of the Awami League by its party people, but the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council and ISKCON were silent. Even influential Hindu leaders in the Awami League government did not come forward to give the victims even a atient hearing. In some areas, Hindu leaders tortured their own community people. A former Hindu member of parliament for the Barguna constituency 1 is one example. There were a couple of media reports against a former inspector general of police who snatched land from a large number of Hindu people to build his Savana Resort beside the Jajira point on Bhanga Expressway. Leaders of the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, ISKCON and Hindu political leaders in the Awami League government supposedly had the knowledge of this forceful acquisition of land from the Hindus. But none raised voice to protect them. This was the common stand of the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, ISKCON and Hindu political leaders before August 5.
But, after the political changeover, the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, followed by ISKCON, swung into political activism to divide society along the religious line. This has certainly damaged the dignity and ideological values of ordinary people belonging to the religious groups. By playing the minority card, they are not doing any good to the people of Bangladesh, irrespective of their faith.
Mohammad Abdur Razzak (safera690@yahoo.com), a retired commodore of the Bangladesh navy, is a security analyst.
Mohammad Abdur Razzak 14 November, 2024, 23:13
THERE is no hide and seek that India has huge discomfort and embarrassment about the political changeover in Bangladesh that took place on August 5. India ventilates its discomfort and embarrassment in different political, diplomatic and media presentations, talking about the concern for the security of minorities, specially the Hindus in Bangladesh. Concern was first expressed in a message by the Indian prime minister on his X handle while he greeted the chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh on August 8. He also hoped ‘for early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minorities’ in Bangladesh.
Majority and minority are collective expression of population, often based on religion. Religion is one of the statistical parameters used in population census. Belongingness to a religion is not a national identity. Irrespective of religious attachment, citizens’ fundamental identity is that they are Bangladeshis.
Bangladesh has been one of the best places in the world, setting the highest example of inter-racial and inter-religious harmony. Going by religion-based statistics, majority of the people in Bangladesh practise Islam. The second largest group of people practises Hinduism. The third largest group practises Buddhism. The fourth largest group of population by religion is Christian. There are smaller groups of population who practise their own religions. People of all faiths have been practising their religious rites freely even after Islam was adopted as the state religion in 1988.
Bangladesh on June 9, 1988 adopted Islam as the state religion. On the same day, retired major general Chitta Ranjan Dutta Bir Uttam led the formation of the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council in protest at the adoption of Islam as the state religion. The official declaration was made after some days.
The organisation was formed with the objective to protect rights of religious and national minorities in Bangladesh. Over the years, it has pursued many agendas and slogans analogous to political mantras. Eventually, it has taken the shape of a politico-religious organisation under a religious banner.
After the political changeover on August 5, the organisation undertook programmes that could be likened to political activism. The organisation brought out processions in Dhaka and in outlying areas demanding safety, citing attacks on the Hindus. There was hardly any act of vengeance by the Muslims against the Hindus. There were a couple of incidents against bt the Muslims and the Hindus as well, deeply indulged in unethical political activities. The organisation attempted to portray the incidents of political vengeance as attacks on the Hindus.
Political movements in the form of street procession and sit-in by the Hindu-dominated organisation were negatively implicating the Buddhists and the Christians and they did not have a third-party political agenda to advance. Perhaps because of disagreement of the Buddhists and the Christians on motivated political activism, the organisation withdrew from partisan activities such as demonstrations on the road, rallies, etc. ISKCON, or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, came at play to play the minority card.
ISKCON Bangladesh brought out processions and held rallies in a couple of cities citing the insecurity of the Hindus. ISKCON held its largest demonstration in Chattogram and Indian mainstream media, bloggers and Youtubers flooded the channels with streams of disinformation.
ISKCON was founded in New York on July 13, 1966. The purpose of founding ISKCON in the United States under the religious banner was to present it as a non-political organisation. The underlying objective was to make it a pro-Indian lobbying group like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to advocate policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States to promote Indian interests. From the beginning, the organisation was mired in controversies and has not fared well in the United States.
ISKCON has its headquarters now in Mayapur in Nadia, West Bengal. It started operating in Bangladesh, perhaps, in the mid-1990s with its Bangladesh head office located in Dhaka. It is not certain if it was registered with any government agencies.
ISKCON built ISKCON centres in different parts of the country. Besides building centres and temples, ISKCON also took over the charge of temples from local Hindu communities. Till 2004, ISKCON Bangladesh had only 1,900 members. Now it has more than 35,000 members. In 2009 it administered 35 temples in the country. Now, there are 71 temple/temple complex/ISKCON centres in the country. According to the South Asia Journal online as of October 29, 2019, the expansion of ISKCON has made it aggressive.
Former Indian high commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla in his address at a programme at Sri Sri Radha Madhav Jiu Temple of ISKCON at Jugaltilla in Sylhet on February 22, 2018 said that the Indian government had funded two projects at the ISKCON centres in Sylhet and Savar. The amount was Tk 74 million and Tk 55.4 million respectively, as the media reported that time. It was also revealed that the Indian government is ’supportive’ of ISKCON’s activities in Bangladesh and funds projects.
There is a third organisation called the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance. According to Wikipedia, the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance is also apparently a non-political and Hindu religious organisation. It was formed as an alliance of 23 Hindu religious organisations on September 17, 2006 with an aim to bond the Hindu community, protect and serve Hinduism and to realise the religious, social, cultural and political rights of the Hindus in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance is also not free of controversies. There are allegations against the organisation of various communal incitements, with banners in the Hindi language despite being a Bangladeshi organisation and the use of “Bharat mata ki jai” (Long live, Mother India) slogan at the end of speeches and creating controversy about a number of Hindus martyred in Bangladesh’s liberation war. However, after the July uprising, while the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council and ISKCON attempted to create social vortex towards a motivated political end, as popularly said, the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance took a different position, spreading a counter-narrative to disinformation by the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council and ISKCON.
The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance chair in a couple of media interviews countered disinformation propagated by the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, ISKCON and Indian media. He noted that the Hindus suffered most persecution during the rule of the Awami League by its party people, but the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council and ISKCON were silent. Even influential Hindu leaders in the Awami League government did not come forward to give the victims even a atient hearing. In some areas, Hindu leaders tortured their own community people. A former Hindu member of parliament for the Barguna constituency 1 is one example. There were a couple of media reports against a former inspector general of police who snatched land from a large number of Hindu people to build his Savana Resort beside the Jajira point on Bhanga Expressway. Leaders of the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, ISKCON and Hindu political leaders in the Awami League government supposedly had the knowledge of this forceful acquisition of land from the Hindus. But none raised voice to protect them. This was the common stand of the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, ISKCON and Hindu political leaders before August 5.
But, after the political changeover, the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, followed by ISKCON, swung into political activism to divide society along the religious line. This has certainly damaged the dignity and ideological values of ordinary people belonging to the religious groups. By playing the minority card, they are not doing any good to the people of Bangladesh, irrespective of their faith.
Mohammad Abdur Razzak (safera690@yahoo.com), a retired commodore of the Bangladesh navy, is a security analyst.
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Indian media spreading misinformation every day, says home advisor
Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said the Indian media is spreading misinformation about Bangladesh every day and the interim government will protest it. “The home ministry will ask the foreign ministry to issue an official protest, as that ministry handles formal communication with
Indian media spreading misinformation every day, says home advisor
bdnews24.com
Published :
Nov 14, 2024 22:00
Updated :
Nov 14, 2024 22:01
Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said the Indian media is spreading misinformation about Bangladesh every day and the interim government will protest it.
“The home ministry will ask the foreign ministry to issue an official protest, as that ministry handles formal communication with other nations. A strongly worded protest letter will be sent to India on this issue,” he said in response to questions from journalists at a press briefing following the Barishal divisional law and order meeting.
When asked specifically about remarks from an Indian TV anchor regarding Chattogram, the advisor replied, “Stay vigilant on this matter. They are regularly publishing false reports, and I ask for your cooperation in stopping this.
“Report truthfully—if we make an error, tell us, and we’ll correct it. If there’s any corruption on my part, tell me, I’m not hesitant to address it. However, avoid false reporting, as such misinformation will eventually be exposed.
“It’s widely known that Indian reports are often inaccurate. Now, if they publish a true report, people may still doubt its authenticity. We encourage you to use the media as a platform to counter this, as you are our strongest ally in this matter,” he added.
Speaking about the Barishal division’s law and order, he said: “The law and order here is notably better than in other regions. However, road blockades occur occasionally, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to prevent them.”
Jahangir also spoke about the unresolved murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Nahar Runi. “There will be progress this time. A six-month timeframe has been established, and a new investigative team was formed on the IGP’s instructions.”
Jahangir acknowledged issues of public trust in the police force: “Restoring confidence in police will take time, but there has been improvement.
“More progress will come gradually, so patience is essential. Journalists can be instrumental in raising awareness to combat mob justice.”
During this briefing, IGP Moinul Islam, RAB Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman, Barishal Divisional Commissioner Rayhan Kaosar, Brigadier General Amirul Azim from the 7th Infantry Division, Barishal Police Commissioner Md Shofiqul Islam, and Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Delwar Hussain were also in attendance.
bdnews24.com
Published :
Nov 14, 2024 22:00
Updated :
Nov 14, 2024 22:01
Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said the Indian media is spreading misinformation about Bangladesh every day and the interim government will protest it.
“The home ministry will ask the foreign ministry to issue an official protest, as that ministry handles formal communication with other nations. A strongly worded protest letter will be sent to India on this issue,” he said in response to questions from journalists at a press briefing following the Barishal divisional law and order meeting.
When asked specifically about remarks from an Indian TV anchor regarding Chattogram, the advisor replied, “Stay vigilant on this matter. They are regularly publishing false reports, and I ask for your cooperation in stopping this.
“Report truthfully—if we make an error, tell us, and we’ll correct it. If there’s any corruption on my part, tell me, I’m not hesitant to address it. However, avoid false reporting, as such misinformation will eventually be exposed.
“It’s widely known that Indian reports are often inaccurate. Now, if they publish a true report, people may still doubt its authenticity. We encourage you to use the media as a platform to counter this, as you are our strongest ally in this matter,” he added.
Speaking about the Barishal division’s law and order, he said: “The law and order here is notably better than in other regions. However, road blockades occur occasionally, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to prevent them.”
Jahangir also spoke about the unresolved murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Nahar Runi. “There will be progress this time. A six-month timeframe has been established, and a new investigative team was formed on the IGP’s instructions.”
Jahangir acknowledged issues of public trust in the police force: “Restoring confidence in police will take time, but there has been improvement.
“More progress will come gradually, so patience is essential. Journalists can be instrumental in raising awareness to combat mob justice.”
During this briefing, IGP Moinul Islam, RAB Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman, Barishal Divisional Commissioner Rayhan Kaosar, Brigadier General Amirul Azim from the 7th Infantry Division, Barishal Police Commissioner Md Shofiqul Islam, and Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Delwar Hussain were also in attendance.
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- #180
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- #181
Why?
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- #182
Because this is an international forum made up of members of all nationalities.
None of whom can speak or understand Bangla.
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- #183
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- #184
Country specific languages can be posted but only in their respective country defense sections. IE: Bengali in Bangladesh Defense. Hindi/Gujarati/Punjabi/etc., in Indian defense and so on.
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- #185
So essentially country specific defence sections should become echo chamber silos where only members of that country who can understand the tongue can participate?
So Hindi videos for the Indian section. Along with the 26 other major languages spoken in India.
And similarly, members can converse in thise languages too?
Tower of Babel comes to mind. But hey, its your forum.
I'm still waiting for @PakistanProud to remove my Moderator tag as requested.
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- #186
Thank you for sharing your perspective. I understand your concern about creating "echo chambers" in country-specific sections.
The intention behind allowing posts in local languages is to enable more meaningful discussions among those who are most familiar with the topics at hand. However, I completely agree that inclusivity is important.
To strike a balance, we might consider encouraging users to provide a brief summary or translation in English when posting in local languages.
This way, members who may not speak the language can still engage with the content and contribute to the discussion.
We are an international 'defense' forum and this opens the floor for others to share their views, fostering a collaborative environment.
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- #187
That is exactly the point of ANY forum.
Not just defence/defense.
Otherwise, it becomes a one sided archive or blog, like most of the Bangladeshi section anyways is.
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- #188
I appreciate your input and understand your concerns about maintaining a balanced dialogue on forums. You’re right that forums should promote diverse discussions, and that’s something we all value.
The aim of allowing country-specific languages in those sections is to encourage participation from members who might otherwise feel excluded. While some sections may currently seem one-sided, my hope is that by providing a space for local languages, we can foster more engagement among those who are familiar with the nuances of their country’s defense matters.
We are always open to hear any suggestions you might have on how we can improve engagement while ensuring that all voices are heard.
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- #189
Having an English only rule is the obvious suggestion.
Its not like everyone participating here does not know English.
Or cannot find relevant/similar content in English to post.
There are exactly 2 members here who understand Bangla.
And everyday the rest of the membership is bombarded with 20-30 Bangla threads.
Trump ... Bangla thread.
Ukraine war ... Bangla thread.
Gaza Israel .... Bangla thread.
India China ... Bangla thread.
There is one Bangla member who is abusing the forum as his own private national soapbox archive.
And being given covering fire by another Bangla moderator.
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- #190
I understand your frustration with the current volume of Bangla threads and appreciate that you’re looking for a more balanced discussion.
I believe that as our community grows, we will see more diverse participation from members around the world. For now, allowing discussions in specific languages can help foster a sense of belonging and encourage engagement among those who may be more comfortable expressing their ideas in their native tongue.
As the forum evolves, we can revisit these language policies based on the community's needs. I’m optimistic that with time, we’ll find the right balance that accommodates everyone while still promoting lively discussions.
Let’s keep the dialogue open, and I appreciate your contributions to shaping this community.
