In a marginalised Hindu minority in Bangladesh, more than hundred homes were demolished in Dhaka’s Miranjilla area this week, rendering impoverished Hindu families homeless in an act of blatant persecution.
What began with assurances from city officials that only part of the Harijan Colony would be cleared soon turned into a nightmare for the long-suffering Hindu community. On Monday, authorities from the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), backed by heavy police presence, descended on the area with bulldozers and demolition crews.
Without warning, the bulldozers razed the humble residences of Hindu families who had lived in Miranjilla for generations – some for over 400 years after being brought from India by the British for cleaning work. Belongings were crushed, homes destroyed as helpless residents watched, women wept, and protesters tried in vain to stop the demolition drive by lying on the roads.
The heart-wrenching scenes sparked an outcry, with the Hindu organisation Jatiyo Hindu Mahajote vowing to support the newly displaced families. Some of these homes belonged to Hindu veterans who fought for Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.
The demolitions have reignited long-simmering anger over the repeated persecution of religious minorities by Bangladeshi authorities, with allegations that the land is being cleared to build a market.
In a tragic culmination of the events, one person died of a heart attack while another took his own life, crushed by the loss of their homes and generational roots. The displaced Hindus, speaking Telugu and belonging to the Harijan community, now face an uncertain future of potential statelessness in the nation they have called home for centuries.