The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh (CHRD Bangladesh) and its sister organization the Bangladesh Freedom and Democracy Forum (BFDF) strongly condemns the systematic destruction of Islamic social values by the unelected and illegal government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh. Being the protégé of the Hindu fundamentalist India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is suspected that these anti-Islamic steps are conducted at its behest. Here are a few examples:

1. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, it has been a routine practice to hold Iftar (breaking fast) celebrations by various organizations, including universities and other educational institutions. This year, the India-oriented regime of Sheikh Hasina banned Iftar parties in at least two major universities. In protest, about 15 other universities of the country held “People’s Iftar” for the fast-observing Muslims.
   
2. Earlier, the regime banned the cooking of beef for the Sehri (the early morning  meal) in a few universities, ostensibly to please Hindu India and the Hindu community in the educational institutions, even though Sehri was for the fast observing Muslims only. 

3. University students were penalized when they organized a Quran Tilawat (recitation of the Quran) at a central venue of Dhaka university.
   
4. In a maligning intent, the image of Durga, a Hindu deity, has been included in  Islamic textbooks.
   
5. Bangladesh’s foreign minister publicly acknowledged that India was by the side of the ruling Awami League party during the farcical elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024. In fact, the election in 2008 was also manipulated by India to make the Awami League victorious without the people’s mandate.
   

On March 9, 2024, the leaders of a large number of opposition parties organized rallies at various parts of Dhaka city and distributed leaflets calling for the people to “Boycott India and Resist Indian Hegemony.” During the campaign, the leaders warned that the Awami League is running the country under an Indian blueprint to reduce the country to a colony of the hegemon neighbor. The leaflets cited how the Awami League, with India’s direct involvement, continued to illegally stay in authority by repeatedly defrauding the elections and how its sponsor kept indiscriminately killing Banladeshis in the border areas. The Awami regime continues to raise the cost of daily essentials through its profiteering syndicates. They asked the shops and consumers to reject Indian products and seek alternative sources of imports, when necessary. Through unprecedented corruptive practices, the ruling class enriched itself at the expense of the common people.  

An example of a systematic Indianization move is found in Narail. In this southwestern district of the country, almost the entire administration is run by Hindu officials, as if Muslims are not available in a country where they compose more than 90%. Moreover, the Bangladesh bureaucracy has nearly 40% Deputy Secretaries and above belonging to the Hindu community. These facts testify that the Hasina administration is fast complying to fulfill Modi’s doctrine of “Akhand Bharat” which includes the entire South Asian region, including Bangladesh. 

Looking at New Delhi’s history of forcible annexations since the partition in 1947 of independent entities like Hyderabad, Junagarh, Sikkim and others and lately Kashmir, it is feared that the ground is being prepared for the Indian military to march into Bangladesh to accomplish that feat. A senior military officer, who is tipped to be the next army chief, singing the Indian national anthem at a university function, signifies where his loyalty lies. 

CHRD Bangladesh and BFDF strongly urge the patriotic people of Bangladesh to resist Indian hegemony and boycott Indian products. They also urge the people to resist the fascism of the illegal and India-serving Awami League administration so as to regain their independence and sovereignty, as well as challenge the regime’s anti-Islamic activities, not only to preserve their Islamic values but also to resist the Indianization and Hinduination of the beloved country that was earned through the sacrifice of a sea of blood in 1971.