Dhaka transforms into Gotham City: Vigilantes Take Over Streets as Police Recede

Every night at midnight in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Rani and her friends, equipped with hockey sticks, iron rods, and plastic pipes, can be seen patrolling their neighborhood. After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, which led to widespread looting and attacks on minorities, the police have been absent from the streets. As a result, local youths have taken it upon themselves to protect their communities.

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Hindu Colony in Old Dhaka Turns Quiet

The once lively streets of the Hindu Colony in Old Dhaka are now eerily quiet, with only a few young men patrolling the area. These youths, all from the Hindu community, have organized a vigilante group to protect their homes and temples from possible attacks. Since August 5, more than 200 attacks on Hindus have occurred. Five Hindus have been killed, and there have been several reports of sexual assaults. Additionally, temples have been targeted, and Hindu-owned shops have been looted. “Lakhs of our sisters and daughters have been mistreated. So, we guard the whole night so that our mothers, sisters and our area remain safe,” Ravidas said.

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Dhaka’s Vigilante Response

Dhaka has, in fact, turned into Gotham, a fictional city that is protected by Batman, a vigilante comics character. “Our population here is around 5,000. We are guarding our colony because the situation in Bangladesh has changed. Hindu houses and temples are being looted, and that’s why we are on guard every night,” Madan Ravidas, a local youth, told India Today. Another youth, Charan Ravidas, said after Sheikh Hasina left the country, the situation had changed and a lot of injustice was perpetrated against the minorities.