Dhaka: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden Bangladesh visit has been "historic" with the focus on strengthening ties, enhancing trade and most importantly signing of the crucial Land Boundary Agreement to settle the over four-decade long border dispute. Along with the key border agreement, the Kolkata-Dhaka-Tripura bus has been flagged off. But there's another issue that has ben brought to the Indian PM's notice and it is the increasing threat to bloggers from fundamentalists in Bangladesh.
The bloggers are looking upto Modi's visit and have now appealed to him to take up the issue of their security with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"I would like PM Modi to ask our PM to provide us with security, our government doesn't provide us with any," said Ananya Das, a young blogger. His is among the 84 names on a hit list put out by Bangladeshi fanatics, who accuse him of being an atheist. His father, Professor Humayun Azad was killed, reportedly for his work on women empowerment.
Nine bloggers have been killed in Bangladesh since 2013. It started with the conviction of Abdul Quader Molla, leader of the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami . He was accused of committing war crimes in 1971 and had been hanged to death in 2013. The bloggers who were instrumental in bringing him to book, are now being targeted.
With their backs against the wall, the bloggers are turning to neighbouring countries for help.
As extremism in Bangladesh strengthens its grip, a silent revolution is on. Home is the operating base of these revolutionaries and technology their tool. Armed with words, Dhaka's bloggers continue to write even as threats loom over their lives.
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