Exclusive: Killings of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh ‘worse than 1971’, jizya fears resurface: Former diplomat

Attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh have continued unabated for 18 months, creating a climate of fear unseen even during the country’s 1971 Liberation War, former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri has said, warning that the situation is deteriorating with reports of religious taxes and targeted killings.

Speaking to Moneycontrol, Sikri said violence against minorities began immediately after the political transition in Dhaka and has persisted without accountability.

“There’s never been a period like this in Bangladesh’s history,” Sikri said. “Even in 1971, when there were very severe attacks, it lasted nine months. This time it has been 18 months and it is still continuing with no let-up at all.”

Sikri said Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities, along with Muslim minorities such as Sufis and Ahmadiyyas, have been subjected to sustained attacks since August last year, describing it as a systematic campaign rather than sporadic unrest.

“Right from the 5th of August, minorities have been attacked continuously,” she said, adding that the violence has continued “because there is no control and complete impunity”.

Allegations of jizya and targeted killings

The former diplomat said recent weeks had seen disturbing reports of non-Muslims being pressured to pay a religious tax, reviving fears of Jizya—a levy historically imposed on non-Muslims under Islamic rule.

“There is increasing talk now that non-Muslims are being forced to pay Jizya if they want to stay,” Sikri said. “That feedback is becoming stronger.”

She linked some recent killings of Hindu minorities directly to refusal or inability to pay such demands.

“In one of the last murders, even the relatives said that he was being asked to pay a tax,” Sikri said, adding that the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad had also acknowledged hearing similar accounts.

“When he couldn’t pay it or didn’t want to pay it, he was killed.”

Calling the development alarming, Sikri said, “Imagine something from Aurangzeb’s time being talked about again — this kind of illegal and wrong attack on minorities is now going on.”

‘Total impunity’ and fear among minorities

Sikri said perpetrators of violence enjoy near-total impunity, with no serious effort to deliver justice.

“Nobody has been arrested. A few people are detained, kept in jail briefly, then released on bail,” she said. “There are no FIRs, no proper charges, nothing to show that there is any serious pursuit of justice.”

She said fear among minorities has become so pervasive that many avoid public spaces, including hospitals.

“There is such a huge atmosphere of fear that people are scared even to go to hospitals,” she said, citing an incident in which the daughter of a well-known Bangladeshi doctor was attacked.

India’s role and international silence

Sikri said India had repeatedly raised concerns, noting that the Ministry of External Affairs had cited 2,900 attacks on minorities over 18 months, but warned that “business as usual” could not continue.

“India is the only country that has to take very strong cognisance of this,” she said. “Otherwise, nobody else in the world is going to care about the condition of minorities in Bangladesh.”

She also criticised what she described as global indifference, arguing that strict controls on the media in Bangladesh have allowed the crisis to be obscured internationally.

“The rest of the world is hiding behind the excuse that they don’t know what is happening,” Sikri said. “It is a complete charade.”

Warning that the situation could worsen even after elections, Sikri said violence driven by religious ideology and political impunity posed a serious threat not just to minorities, but to Bangladesh’s stability and regional security.

“This kind of violence based on religion is not likely to stop,” she said. “The people doing it believe they have complete immunity.”