Hindu teachers targeted in Bangladesh, forced to resign

The Hindu minority in Bangladesh continues to face mounting pressure, with a growing number of teachers being forced to resign from their government posts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

Amid a wave of targeted attacks on minorities, at least 50 Hindu educators have been compelled to leave their jobs. However, the actual number of forced resignations could be much higher.

One of the most high-profile cases involved Shukla Rani Halder, the principal of Bakerganj Government College in Barishal. According to the Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, on August 29, a mob of students and outsiders stormed her office, demanding her resignation. After hours of intimidation, a distressed Halder had no choice but to comply, writing down "I resign" on a blank piece of paper.

On August 18, around 50 students of Azimpur Government Girls' School and College cornered principal Geetanjali Barua and sought her resignation, along with those of assistant head teacher Gautam Chandra Paul and physical education teacher Shahnaza Akhter. Similar incidents have occurred across the country. Visuals circulating on social media show teachers and academic administrators being coerced into signing resignation letters while surrounded by jeering and chanting students.

In an increasingly dire situation, there is a palpable feeling of fear and helplessness among Hindu educators in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Chhatra Oikya Parishad, the student wing of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, condemned these actions during a press conference on Saturday and addressed the growing intolerance faced by the Hindu community.