Bangabhumi

Hindu Republic of Bangabhumi
হিন্দু প্রজাতন্ত্রী বঙ্গভূমি (Hindu Prajātantrī Baṅgabhūmi)
LeaderKalidas Baidya & Dhirendra Nath Paul [citation needed]
Dates of operation1973 - present
IdeologyHindu nationalism
Hindu Bengali nationalism
Separatism
OpponentsPeople's Republic of Bangladesh
Pakistan
Republic of India

Bangabhumi (Bengali: বঙ্গভূমি, meaning the land of Vanga, also spelt Bongobhumi) also known as Bir Banga (Bengali: বীর বঙ্গ),[citation needed] is a separatist movement to create a Bengali Hindu country for Bangladeshi Hindus in southwestern Bangladesh, envisioned by Banga Sena. Banga Sena (English: Vanga Army) is a separatist[1] Hindu organization which advocates formation of a Bangabhumi also known as Azad Hind Bangla for Bengali Hindus in Bangladesh.[2] The group is led by Kalidas Baidya.[1]

The movement was founded in 1973 in India soon after the independence of Bangladesh to support the Hindu refugees from Bangladesh, who were targeted by the Pakistan Army in the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. However, this movement did not receive much support at that time. In an interview with BBC News in 2001, Chittaranjan Sutar, one of the alleged organisers of the movement, denied supporting the creation of a new nation.[3]

  1. ^ a b Seema Guha (7 January 2004). "Dhaka seeks proof, Delhi readies maps". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  2. ^ "400 Banga Sena activists held at Bangla border". Indiainfo.com. 18 February 2003. Archived from the original on 4 September 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  3. ^ Bangladesh alleges 'separatist plot', BBC, 22 December 2001