International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly referred to as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. It was founded by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on 13 July 1966 in New York City. ISKCON's main headquarters is in Mayapur, West Bengal, India and it claims approximately 1 million members globally.
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) is an Indian right-wing Hindu organisation based on Hindu nationalism. The VHP was founded in 1964 by M. S. Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with Swami Chinmayananda. Its stated objective is "to organise, consolidate the Hindu society and to serve and protect the Hindu Dharma". It was established to construct and renovate Hindu temples, and deal with matters of cow slaughter and religious conversion. The VHP is a member of the Sangh Parivar group, the family of Hindu nationalist organisations led by the RSS.
The 1969 East Pakistan uprising was a democratic political uprising in East Pakistan. It was led by the students backed by various political parties such as the Awami League, National Awami Party, and Communist party of East Pakistan and their student wings, and the cultural fronts against Muhammad Ayub Khan, the president of Pakistan in protest of the oppressive military rule, political repressions, Agartala Conspiracy Case and the incarceration of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other Bengali nationalists.
The Provisional Government of Bangladesh, popularly known as the Mujibnagar Government ; also known as the Bangladeshi government-in-exile, was the first and founding government of Bangladesh that was established following the proclamation of independence of East Pakistan as Bangladesh on 10 April 1971. Headed by prime minister Tajuddin Ahmad, it was the supreme leadership of the Bangladeshi liberation movement, comprising a cabinet, a diplomatic corps, an assembly, an armed force, and a radio service. It operated as a government-in-exile from Kolkata. The president of this government was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who is the main undisputed figure here but in his absence Syed Nazrul Islam became the acting president.
On 28 February 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, the vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami to death for war crimes committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Following the sentence, activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir attacked Hindus in different parts of the country. Hindu properties were looted, Hindu houses were burnt into ashes and Hindu temples were desecrated and set on fire. While the government has held the Jamaat-e-Islami responsible for the attacks on minorities, the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership has denied any involvement. Minority leaders have protested the attacks and appealed for justice. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has directed law enforcement to start suo motu investigation into the attacks. The US Ambassador to Bangladesh expressed concern about attacks by Jamaat on the Bengali Hindu community.
On 5 January 2014, the 10th general elections were held in Bangladesh. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami had already boycotted the elections. The buildup to the elections were marred by successive strikes and violence by the opposition parties. Victims claimed after the polls, workers and supporters of the opposition parties began attacking the minority Bengali Hindus. Accusing of looting, vandalising and setting the Hindu houses on fire in several districts across the country. Seven persons belonging to the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party were arrested in connection with the attacks. The National Human Rights Commission held the government responsible for the attacks on Hindus after the election. In India, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the attacks on minorities.
Deaths along the Bangladesh–India border occur many times a year as result of people attempting to illegally cross into India from Bangladesh, for walking along the border, cross border firing and cattle smuggling. Bangladesh and India share a 4,096 kilometer border. To prevent smuggling and illegal migration from Bangladesh, the Indian Border Security Force(BSF) exercises its controversial "Shoot-on-sight" policy. Under this policy, the BSF can shoot any person on sight with or without cause. A large portion of the victims are cattle traders and farmers with land near the border. Brad Adams, stated that, "Routinely shooting poor, unarmed villagers is not how the world's largest democracy should behave."
The 2018 Bangladesh Quota Reform Movement was a students' movement demanding reforms in policies regarding recruitment in the Bangladesh government services. Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad initiated movement initially began in Shahbag and on Dhaka University campus on 17 February 2018, and eventually spread country-wide by 8 April 2018. The movement rapidly attained popularity among students of different universities and colleges forcing the government to announce changes.
Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, commonly known BSRC, is a Bangladeshi student organisation. It is the student wing of Gono Odhikar Parishad.
Nurul Haque Nur is a Bangladeshi activist and politician, and currently the 1st President of the Gono Odhikar Parishad political party. He came to prominence in 2018 as a joint-convener of Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad, which led the Quota Reform Movement 2018. In 2019, he was elected as the vice president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU). He is also the convener of the Chatro, Jubo and Probashi Odhikar Porishod.
Mamunul Haque is a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and the Joint Secretary-General of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, emerged as an Islamist leader in the late 2010s, particularly following the deadliest events of the Siege of Dhaka. With an ancestral heritage of religious scholarship and political leadership from his father, Azizul Haque, he succeeded his father both as a Sheikh al-Hadith at Jamia Rahmania and as the Secretary-General of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis. He is best known for his oratory skills and his advocacy for the establishment of an Islamic state and the integration of Islamic principles into government policies. In 2020 and 2021, he led opposition to the construction of a sculpture of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and organized anti-Modi protests, which made him the undisputed Hefazat leader overnight. He faced legal challenges, including 41 cases, one of which was a treason charge, and has been imprisoned three times under the Sheikh Hasina regime. Following the fall of this regime, he participated in discussions with the President and the Chief of Army Staff, which eventually led to the formation of the Yunus ministry, which included a member from Hefazat, A F M Khalid Hossain. In addition to his political and religious activities, he has served as an adjunct professor at Asian University of Bangladesh and is the editor of Rahmani Paigam, a monthly magazine published in Dhaka.
A series of rallies, demonstrations, and blockades opposing the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were held in Bangladesh from 19 to 29 March, on the celebration of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan. Accusing Narendra Modi of committing crimes against humanity during the 2002 Gujarat riots, the protesters agitated against what they alleged were India's anti-Muslim policies and India's interference in Bangladeshi politics. Protesters demanded the cancellation of the Bangladesh government's invitation to the Indian Prime Minister. The otherwise peaceful protests turned violent when the protesters were attacked by the supporters of the ruling Awami League party along with a crackdown by the law-enforcement agencies, causing the deaths of several protesters throughout the last week of March 2021 in Bangladesh. Initially launched by progressive student organizations including the Bangladesh Students Union, Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad, and the Socialist Students' Front, the demonstrations were later joined by the Islamic group Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.
From 13 to 19 October 2021, Muslim mobs instigated communal violence against Hindu communities across Bangladesh during the Durga Puja festival, in response to a viral video where Quran was kept under a temple idol's feet. More than 50 temples and makeshift worship arrangements were vandalised all over Bangladesh.
The non-cooperation movement, also known as the one-point movement, was a pro-democratic disinvestment movement and a mass uprising against the Awami League-led government of Bangladesh, initiated within the framework of 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement. The sole demand of this movement was the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet. It was the final stage of the wider movement known as the Student–People's uprising or the July Revolution. Although the movement was initially limited to the goal of reforming quotas in government jobs, it snowballed into a mass anti-government uprising after the deaths of several protesters. The movement was also fueled by ongoing socio-economic and political issues, including the government's mismanagement of the national economy, rampant corruption by government officials, human rights violations, allegations of undermining the country's sovereignty by Sheikh Hasina, and increasing authoritarianism and democratic backsliding.
Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan is a Bangladeshi student activist, who is currently serving as an adviser to the Bangladesh interim government. He is a key coordinator of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement, which led the Student–People's uprising. He is also the former president of Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad at Dhaka University unit.
Following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, alleged attacks began on some of the homes, businesses, and places of worship of the Hindu community in Bangladesh. According to analysts, most of these attacks were not communal but a mix of political retributions or general criminal offences amid a law and order crisis in the country. The Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported that from August 4 to August 20, a total of 2,010 incidents of attacks on minorities took place across the country within this 16-day period. Among the incidents, homes of 157 families were attacked, looted, vandalised and set on fire while some of their businesses were also attacked, looted and vandalised. According to analysts, most of these attacks were not communal but a mix of political retributions or general criminal offences amid a law and order crisis in the country. 5 Hindus were killed in these attacks, of which at least 2 were confirmed as Awami League members. Meanwhile, Indian media as well as India-based social media accounts began to disseminate disinformation and propaganda on the attacks; BBC Verify both confirmed some attacks hurt minorities and found that majority claims about the violence were unverified, exaggerated, or misleadingly framed. Fact checkers highlighted the situation's complexity and the difficulties in accurately assessing causes of violence.
Gono Odhikar Parishad, is one of the political parties in Bangladesh. On September 2, 2024, the party was officially registered with the Election Commission. Its electoral symbol is a truck.
Chinmoy Krishna Das is a Bangladeshi Hindu monk and community leader who is the spokesperson of Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha. On 25 November 2024, he was arrested on sedition charges, leading to violent protests by his followers and diplomatic reactions from India. A former member of ISKCON Bangladesh, he was expelled from the organisation following accusations of child sexual abuse and other disciplinary issues.
On 26 November 2024, Saiful Islam Alif, a lawyer practicing at the Chittagong Court, was fatally attacked with sharp weapons by unidentified assailants during a protest demanding the release of Bangladeshi Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who had been arrested on charges of sedition. Reports indicate that the violence involved individuals identified as followers of Das and alleged supporters of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). However, ISKCON Bangladesh has denied any involvement in the incident.
Following the Student–People's uprising which ousted Bangladesh's longtime authoritarian Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a strong ally of India, the Indian media outlets, along with India-based social media accounts, began disseminating disinformation against Bangladesh with an intent to destabilise the country. The themes include misleading or exaggerated reports on the post-resignation violence against Bangladesh's Hindu community, discrediting the backgrounds or activities of the cabinet members of interim government of Bangladesh. Sensationalist media outlets, especially those closely associated with the ruling party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party, attempted to portray the uprising as an Islamist-backed military takeover of the country purportedly orchestrated by India's rivals, Pakistan & China.
