In Rangpur, Hindu students forced to wear hijab, two teachers suspended

by Sumon Corraya

The incident took place at a girls' high school in Daspara sparking attention following videos posted on social media. Hindu students and parents are asking for more security. Violence against minorities has increased after Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. About a thousand Christian schools are also at risk. For Journalist Mostofa Feroz, “the country belongs to everyone.”

Rangpur (AsiaNews) – Last week Hindu students at the Uddin girls' high school in Daspara, Rangpur, northern Bangladesh, were forced to wear the hijab and not allowed to read the Gita, Hinduism’s most important sacred text, action that sparked a protest and saw two educators involved suspended.

Following the incident, young Hindus took part in a demonstration last Wednesday at the school, demanding the resignation and punishment of the principal, Mofizur Rahman, and the Islamic religion teacher, Mostafizur Rahman.

The protest, which was also attended by parents, gained media attention after videos were posted on social media in which the students express their grievances, accompanied by hashtags such as #HinduLivesMatter and #WeDemandSafety.

Violence against the Hindu community, the largest religious minority (8 per cent) in the Muslim-majority country, is nothing new.

In fact, it has intensified, especially in the last month, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, because Hindus are considered close to her party, the Awami League, which has been openly tolerant towards minorities of any religion.

As a result of the situation, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Rezaul Karim, intervened.

Karim, who also chairs the school's management committee, visited the school along with law enforcement and army personnel to restore order.

Following an initial investigation, both the principal and the religion teacher were suspended, and a showcase notice was issued to them asking for explanations within 10 days.

Meanwhile, Officer-in-charge Ataur Rahman of the Metropolitan Kotwali police station confirmed the authenticity of a video that went viral, stating that he was present at the protest. He added that the situation in the area has since stabilised.

On the initiative of the Deputy Commissioner Karim, a commission of inquiry was set up to investigate further.

The outcome of the probe is awaited while the school community is grappling with the controversy. The accused teachers have denied the charges against them.

"Islam does not impose religion on anyone,” said Joynul Abden, a Muslim, speaking to AsiaNews. “Just as no one can be prohibited from wearing the hijab, so no one should be forced to wear it.”

“This is a deeply regrettable and alarming incident,” writes Mostofa Feroz, a journalist, on Facebook. “After the Sheikh Hasina government stepped down, some may have believed that the country would shift towards an Islamist state, but they should remember that this country belongs to everyone. Forcing Hindu students to wear the hijab is entirely wrong and provocative.”

Some experts warn that if Muhammad Yunus' government does not address these episodes of Islamic radicalism, Bangladesh could go the way of Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Christians run about a thousand schools and colleges in the country. A Catholic teacher from Dinajpur, a district near Rangpur, who wished to remain anonymous, told AsiaNews that in Church-run schools, the number of female students wearing burqas and hijabs in lieu of the school uniform has increased.

He expressed fears that if a political party such as the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami were to take power, it could impose rules that also include requiring non-Muslim women to wear the hijab or the burqa.