The violence in Bangladesh after Hasina's ouster stirs fear within the country's Hindu minority

KHULNA, Bangladesh (AP) — When a mass uprising forced Bangladesh’s longtime prime minister to step down and flee the country last week, a 65-year-old retired auditor who had worked for her political party feared for his life.

Arobinda Mohalder, who is part of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, had just learned that a Hindu official working for the Awami League party in the country's Khulna district escaped after an angry mob set his home on fire.

Mohalder and his wife quickly packed clothes and passports as they fled their home to stay with a relative nearby. Later that evening, they found out their home had been torched. The attackers looted everything, including their television, refrigerator and two air conditioners.

Ever since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, her supporters and associates have faced retaliatory attacks by mobs who have been met by little, if any, resistance from authorities. Members of the country's Hindu minority feel the most vulnerable because they have traditionally backed the Awami League — seen as a secular party in the Muslim-majority nation — and because of a history of violence against them during previous upheavals.

In the week since Hasina was ousted on Aug. 5, there have been at least 200 attacks against Hindus and other religious minorities across 52 districts, according to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a minority rights group that has been tracking incidents.

But experts caution it is hard to establish the extent of and motivations for the violence in this South Asian country of 170 million.

“There may be an element of minorities, particularly Hindus, being targeted due to their faith. But many Hindus had links to the Awami League, because historically it has been the party that protected minorities, so they may have been targeted for their political affiliations,” said Thomas Kean, a senior consultant on Bangladesh and Myanmar at the Crisis Group.

Hasina's ouster was triggered by student-led protests against a quota system for government jobs. After clashes between protesters and government forces that led to hundreds of deaths, the movement grew into a broader rebellion against the leader and her government.

Mobs rampaged across the country after Hasina fled. Some of the violence was just criminal activity, Kean said, and “we shouldn’t assume they are all due to race or religion.”

The interim government put in place after Hasina’s ouster has condemned the attacks as “heinous” and said it was working with community leaders to ensure Hindus' safety.

Hindus, who make up 8% of the population and are the largest minority group, “are shivering,” said Kajal Debnath, a vice president of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council. “They are closing their doors, they are not opening it without confirming who is knocking. Everybody (in the Hindu minority)… from the Dhaka capital to the remote villages are very scared.”

For many, the violence has evoked painful memories of Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan during which Hindus were targeted. Hindus were also attacked during the rise of Islamic groups in the 1990s, which Hasina stamped out.

Hindus have held large protests in the past week drawing thousands, demanding protection and condemning the recent spate of attacks.

Munni Ghosh, a Hindu housewife in Dhaka, said that attacks have grown since Hasina fled. “The reason (is) because she used to support us,” she said.

According to the minority groups organization, the attacks have included vandalizing and looting of Hindu homes and businesses. A few temples have been damaged. But details remain scarce, and police — whose members were also killed during the recent violence — went on strike last week.

Some analysts say many of the attacks against Hindus are politically driven and reflect resentment against Hasina’s party.

Hindus have suffered, but most attacks have been “politically motivated because the Awami League has been targeted,” said Zillur Rahman, executive director of the Dhaka-based Center for Governance Studies.

In Mohalder’s village, dozens of other Hindu homes were unscathed. And his brother-in-law’s house, which is attached to his own, was not vandalized. A temple in their family compound was also untouched.

Mohalder believes he was targeted because of his ties to the Awami League. He doesn’t know when it will be safe for him to return home. “I want to go back, but goons looted my home and because of that, I am scared.”

The issue has become increasingly sensitive for India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the reports of attacks last week.

But experts say the lack of credible information and official investigations into violence against Hindus has also fueled misinformation about the attacks, much of it coming from Indian news, social media and leaders, said Kean.

On Aug. 5, the day Hasina fled, a leader belonging to Modi’s party in West Bengal state, which borders Bangladesh, claimed without providing evidence that Hindus were being slaughtered. Television news channels ran headlines saying the attacks were “an act of genocide” and a “pogrom.” In another example, an Indian outlet claimed a certain temple had been set on fire, but Prothom Alo — a leading Bengali-language daily newspaper — found that false, and reported that an Awami League office behind the temple had been burnt down.

Nahid Islam, one of the leading student protesters who was sworn in as a minister in the interim government last week, said the violence was more politically than religiously motivated and was meant to divide the country, but that Bangladesh would protect them.

“The responsible will be brought to justice… be assured that the people of Bangladesh, the government of Bangladesh will stand by you.”

But for many Hindus, the biggest worry has been the lack of police since they went on strike in many parts of the country after Hasina fled.

“Anything can happen at any moment of time because there is no law and order," said Debnath. "There is no place to complain. If they kill me, if they burn my house, there is no one I can complain to.”

On Monday, several police stations opened up and many people hope that will help ease tensions. But while police were on strike, students and other volunteers in Dhaka and elsewhere banded together to patrol neighborhoods and keep watch, sometimes carrying sticks and umbrellas.

Tahsim Uzzaman, a 26-year-old student in Dhaka, is one volunteer who has been patrolling Dhaka neighborhoods late at night.

“I no longer feel alright just sitting at home. I’ve been going out at night to guard places, especially in minority neighborhoods. We took bullets to reclaim our country, it shouldn’t be for nothing, we must now keep it safe for all,” he said.

CORRECTS CITY TO BOTIAGHATA - Arobinda Mohalder, right, talks with his wife, center, and another relative, in Botiaghata, Khulna district, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, after his nearby house was looted and burnt down. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

CORRECTS CITY TO BOTIAGHATA - The burnt and looted house of Arobinda Mohalder, a supporter of Bangladesh's former prime minister, is seen in Botiaghata, Khulna district, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

CORRECTS CITY TO BOTIAGHATA - Relatives salvage furniture from a house belonging to a supporter of Bangladesh's former prime minister that was burnt down by a mob, in Botiaghata, Khulna district, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

CORRECTS CITY TO BOTIAGHATA - Arobinda Mohalder talks on a phone from his relative's residence after his house was burnt down by a mob, in Botiaghata, Khulna district, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

Muslim volunteers guard in front of the Dhakeshwari Hindu Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug.11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

A Hindu woman prays at the Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug.11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Kajol Debnath, left, president of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, talks to Hindu community leaders at Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug.11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Hindu devotees pray at the Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug.11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

FILE - Protesters celebrate beside a defaced portrait of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after news of her resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora,File)

FILE - Men run past a burning vehicle inside the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, set on fire by protesters, during a rally against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government demanding justice for the victims killed in the recent countrywide deadly clashes, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar, File)

FILE - A policeman aims his weapon at protesters during an imposed curfew following violence during protests against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar, File)

Hindus in Bangladesh hold a rally condemning violence against them and other religious groups in the Muslim-majority country, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Hindus in Bangladesh hold a rally condemning violence against them and other religious groups in the Muslim-majority country, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Nahid Islam, a student protester who was sworn in as a minister in Bangladesh's interim government last week, talks to the Associated Press in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Arobinda Mohalder, right, talks with his wife, center, and another relative, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, after his nearby house was looted and burnt down. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

The burnt and looted house of Arobinda Mohalder, a supporter of Bangladesh's former prime minister, is seen in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

Relatives salvage furniture from a house belonging to a supporter of Bangladesh's former prime minister that was burnt down by a mob, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

Arobinda Mohalder talks on a phone from his relative's residence after his house was burnt down by a mob, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Israeli military said Tuesday an American activist killed in the West Bank last week was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by its soldiers, drawing a strong rebuke from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the activist's family.

Israel said a criminal investigation has been launched into the killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old activist from Seattle who was taking part in a demonstration against settlements in the Palestinian territory. Doctors who treated Eygi, who also held Turkish citizenship, said she was shot in the head.

Blinken condemned the fatal shooting when asked about it at a news conference in London, and said the U.S. would make clear to its ally that such actions are “not acceptable.”

“No one — no one — should be shot and killed for attending a protest,” he said. “Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank.”

Eygi's family in the U.S. released a statement saying “we are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional.”

During Friday's demonstration, clashes broke out between Palestinians throwing stones and Israeli troops firing tear gas and ammunition, according to Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli protester who witnessed the shooting of Eygi.

Pollak said the violence had subsided about a half hour before Eygi was shot, after protesters and activists had withdrawn several hundred meters (yards) away from the site of the demonstration. Pollak said he saw two Israeli soldiers mount the roof of a nearby home, train a gun in the group’s direction and fire, with one bullet hitting Eygi.

Israel said its inquiry into Eygi’s killing “found that it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by (Israeli army) fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot.” It expressed its “deepest regret” at her death.

International Solidarity Movement, the activist group Egyi was volunteering with, said it “entirely rejects” the Israeli statement and that the “shot was aimed directly at her.”

The killing came amid a surge of violence in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, with increasing Israeli raids, attacks by Palestinian militants on Israelis, attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and heavier military crackdowns on Palestinian protests.

Israel says it thoroughly investigates allegations of its forces killing civilians and holds them accountable. It says soldiers often have to make split-second decisions while operating in areas where militants hide among civilians. But human rights groups say soldiers are very rarely prosecuted, and even in the most shocking cases — and those captured on video — they often get relatively light sentences.

The Palestinian Authority held a funeral procession for Eygi in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday. Turkish authorities said they were working on repatriating her body to Turkey for burial in the Aegean coastal town of Didim, as per her family’s wishes.

Eygi's uncle said in an interview with the Turkish TV channel HaberTurk that she kept her visit to the West Bank secret from at least some of her family members. She said she was traveling to Jordan to help Palestinians there, he said.

"She hid the fact that she was going to Palestine. She blocked us from her social media posts so that we would not see them,” Yilmaz Eygi said.

The deaths of American citizens in the West Bank have drawn international attention, such as the fatal shooting of a prominent Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, in 2022 in the Jenin refugee camp.

Several independent investigations and reporting by The Associated Press determined that Abu Akleh was likely killed by Israeli fire. Months later, the military said there was a “high probability” one of its soldiers had mistakenly killed her but that no one would be punished.

In January 2022, Omar Assad, a 78-year-old Palestinian-American, died of a heart attack after Israeli troops at a checkpoint dragged him from his car and made him lie facedown, bound, temporarily gagged and blindfolded. The military ruled out criminal charges and said it was reprimanding one commander and removing two others from leadership roles for two years.

The U.S. had planned to sanction a military unit linked to abuses of Palestinians in the West Bank but ended up dropping the plan.

The deaths of Palestinians who do not have dual nationality rarely receive the same scrutiny.

Human rights groups say Israel military investigations into Palestinians' deaths reflect a pattern of impunity. B’Tselem, a leading Israeli watchdog, became so frustrated that in 2016 it halted its decades-long practice of assisting investigations and called them a “whitewash.”

Last year, an Israeli court acquitted a member of the paramilitary Border Police charged with reckless manslaughter in the deadly shooting of 32-year-old Eyad Hallaq, an autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City in 2020. The case had drawn comparisons to the police killing of George Floyd in the United States.

In 2017, Israeli soldier Elor Azaria was convicted for manslaughter and served nine months after he killed a wounded, incapacitated Palestinian attacker in the West Bank city of Hebron. The combat medic was caught on video fatally shooting Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, who was lying motionless on the ground.

That case deeply divided Israelis, with the military saying Azaria had clearly violated its code of ethics, while many Israelis — particularly on the nationalist right — defended his actions and accused military brass of second-guessing a soldier operating in dangerous conditions.

Associated Press reporters Matthew Lee and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s Gaza coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

This undated family photo provided by the International Solidarity Movement on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, shows Aysenur Ezgi Eygi of Seattle. (Courtesy of the Eygi family/International Solidarity Movement via AP)

ADDS WITNESS SAYS: Two fellow activists of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, who a witness says was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers while participating in an anti-settlement protest in the West Bank, carry posters with her name and photo during Eygi's funeral procession in the West Bank city of Nablus, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)