On the brink

The escalation of violence against minorities in Bangladesh cannot occur in isolation from the political landscape. The tacit support of state institutions and the role of major political parties facilitates these ghastly attacks. This hidden conspiracy not only undermines social cohesion in the multicultural society but also threatens the very fabric of democracy by eroding trust among different communities. The rapid degeneration into violence suggests a breakdown of the social compact that once held diverse groups together

The recent surge of violence against cultural minorities in Bangladesh is alarming, yet it reflects a broader pattern observed throughout the South Asian region. This phenomenon can be traced back to the contradiction between the identities of diverse populations and the hegemonic politics that characterise authoritarian post-colonial states. In Bangladesh, as well as in neighbouring countries, cultural nationalism has often been employed as a tool by political elites by leveraging state sovereignty to consolidate power, leading to an exacerbation of episodic tensions betw een religious extremists and moderate cum secular factions within society.

The situation goes beyond mere communal intolerance in that it increasingly assumes the form of systematic minority bashing and, in some instances, ethnic cleansing, too. Such dynamics time and again illustrate a troubling trend where the state apparatus appears overly sympathetic and complicit to these violent Talibani proclivities, allowing extremist ideologies to flourish unchecked.

The escalation of violence against mi norities cannot occur in isolation from the political landscape. The tacit support of state institutions and the role of major political parties facilitates these ghastly attacks. This hidden conspiracy not only undermines social cohesion in the multicultural society but also threatens the very fabric of democracy by eroding trust among different communities. The rapid degeneration into violence suggests a breakdown of the social compact that once held diverse groups together. As political leaders exploit sectarian divides in a weak civil society marked by middle class apathy on one hand and poverty among the masses on the other, for electoral gain, they purposely legitimize extremist narratives that target vulnerable populations.