The 1/11 Chronicle — Part 1: Blood-Soaked Victory — The 2001 Post-Election Genocide

The 1/11 story doesn’t begin in 2006. It begins on October 1, 2001 — the day the BNP-Jamaat alliance won a landslide victory.

The celebrations hadn’t even dried before one of the darkest chapters in Bangladesh’s history began.

‘s history began.

🔴 Organized Attacks on Minorities

Protesters demand justice for communal violence against Bangladesh’s Hindu minority. Signs read: “Hindus have the right to live in Bangladesh” and “Stop Communal Attack! #SaveBangladeshiHindu”

Within hours of the election results, organized attacks swept across the country targeting Hindu minorities and Awami League supporters. This wasn’t isolated violence — it was systematic retribution. Hindu communities were being punished on suspicion of supporting the Awami League.

Read the numbers. Just once.

• Over 18,000 rapes — according to a Judicial Inquiry Commission report
• 50+ Hindu temples attacked — idols smashed, arson
• 1,500+ Hindu families’ homes destroyed
• The violence spread across nearly every division of Bangladesh

What Did the World Say?

BBC News: Bangladesh persecution panel reports on 2001 violence — the judicial commission found thousands of BNP supporters involved in repression of Hindus

Human Rights Watch wrote in their 2007 World Report — BNP-affiliated groups were attacking temples and destroying idols in village after village. BBC reported in 2011 that a three-member Judicial Commission — formed by order of the Bangladesh High Court — conducted an extensive investigation into this persecution. Amnesty International, Minority Rights Group — everyone said the same thing.

What did BNP say? “The investigation was biased.”

But 18,000 rapes are not biased. 50 destroyed temples are not biased. 1,500 destroyed homes are not biased.

This Was Only the Beginning

99% of the victims of this persecution never received justice. The perpetrators were identified, the events were documented — but under the ruling government’s protection, no one was brought to trial.

And this was just the first year. Five more years remained.

Next episode: The dark rise of militancy, the 10-truck arms haul in Chittagong, and that bloody August 21st — the day democracy was attacked with grenades. ⏭️

📎 Sources: Human Rights Watch World Report 2007, BBC News (2011), Amnesty International, Minority Rights Group, Bangladesh High Court-ordered Judicial Inquiry Commission