Bangladesh President’s office seeking details of senior Hindu officers is “racial profiling”, says rights activist

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus salutes to the attendees upon arrival at the Bangabhaban to take oath as the head of the interim government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A notification issued by the Bangladesh President’s office last week has triggered concerns about “racial profiling” of the minority Hindu community in the neighbouring country.

The notification from the President’s Personnel department, issued on August 29, had sought the personal details of senior Hindu officials in the government, ostensibly to make an invitation list for an event at Bangabhaban, the office and residence of the President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin. Vijaya Dashami and Sri Krishna Janmashtami are both in Bangladesh’s list of national holidays.

However, the claim that the list of Hindu officers is being compiled for festival purposes only is “a bit hard to buy”, according to Suhas Chakma, director of the Delhi-based Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), given the backdrop of reported incidents of violence against minority groups in Bangladesh in the wake of last month’s ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government.

‘Racial profiling’

“Seeking the list of only Hindu officers by the President of Bangladesh is nothing but an act of racial profiling of the Hindus by the Government of Bangladesh for the purpose of specific targeting of minorities based on their religious belief,” said Mr. Chakma, indicating that the notice has to be seen within the context of several Hindu officials and academics being forced to resign by agitating students and protesters over the last few weeks.

Mr. Chakma, who has been vocal about the condition of religious and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh, Myanmar and India’s northeastern States, added that there is “genuine fear” that senior officers will be targeted and “silenced”. He pointed out that, subsequent to the notification from the President’s office, other Bangladeshi Ministries have also issued similar notices, citing the festival season. He shared a similar notification issued by the Bangladesh Ministry of Textiles and Jute with The Hindu.

“This violates the UN human rights laws relating to racial discrimination and the rights of the minorities and is a fit case for the UN Rapporteurs to intervene,” Mr. Chakma said.