Bangladesh’s Hindu Minority Faces Rising Violence Amid Political Tensions

Across Bangladesh, fear has gripped the Hindu minority community following the brutal killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a 27-year-old Hindu garment worker. In December, Das was accused by Muslim colleagues of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, which drew a violent mob to his workplace. He was beaten to death, his body hung from a tree and set on fire.

The gruesome images, captured on video and widely shared, sparked protests in Dhaka and other cities, with demonstrators demanding justice and greater protections for minorities. While the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus ordered an investigation resulting in about a dozen arrests, human rights groups warn this incident is part of a much larger pattern.

“No one feels safe anymore,” said Ranjan Karmaker, a Dhaka-based Hindu human rights activist. “Everyone is terrified.”

In Bangladesh, Hindus constitute approximately 8% of the population, numbering about 13.1 million people in a nation of 170 million that is 91% Muslim. As the February 12 national election approaches, the minority community’s vulnerability has intensified.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, an umbrella group representing minority communities, has documented more than 2,000 incidents of communal violence since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The organization has recorded at least 61 killings, 28 instances of violence against women—including rape and gang rape—and 95 attacks on places of worship involving vandalism, looting and arson.

The group has accused the Yunus-led administration of routinely dismissing or downplaying reports of such violence. When contacted for comment, an official from Yunus’ press team declined to respond to the allegations. The interim government has consistently denied claims of failing to protect minorities, often asserting that most incidents aren’t religiously motivated.

Previous elections in Bangladesh have typically seen increases in violence, with religious minorities bearing the brunt. However, the current situation is particularly tense because Hasina’s Awami League party has been barred from contesting elections, and Hasina herself is living in exile in India. Many Hindus fear they will face reprisals for their perceived alignment with Hasina’s party.

“Hindus are often perceived as voting en masse for one side, a perception that heightens their vulnerability,” explained Karmaker. He warned that in some parts of the country, the Hindu community was facing “an existential crisis.”

The activist pointed to a growing culture of impunity as a major concern: “The individuals involved in this violence are not being brought under the law, nor are they being held accountable through the justice system. It creates the impression that the violence will continue.”

The escalation in attacks has coincided with the reemergence of Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party, and its student wing. After years of suppression under Hasina’s government, including bans and arrests, the party sees the upcoming election as an opportunity to reclaim political influence.

Jamaat-e-Islami leads a broader alliance of 11 Islamist parties, including the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), whose leaders played a central role in the 2024 uprising. While the party advocates for Shariah, or Islamic law, it has attempted to reshape its public image by organizing rallies featuring Hindu participants and even nominating a Hindu community leader as a candidate.

Meanwhile, the NCP has pledged to support citizens facing religious discrimination and promised to establish a dedicated unit within the Human Rights Commission to protect minority rights if elected.

Political analyst Altaf Parvez dismisses these gestures as largely symbolic. He notes that other major political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, have nominated only a handful of minority candidates—reflecting a lack of genuine commitment to inclusive politics.

“A systematic pattern of attacks is taking place in rural areas to inject more fear among minorities before the vote,” Parvez said. “It will impact the participation of voters from minority communities in the next elections too.”

The violence against Hindus has also inflamed tensions with neighboring India, prompting protests by Hindu nationalist groups and criticism from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. India’s Foreign Ministry recently accused Bangladesh of downplaying a “disturbing pattern of recurring attacks” on Hindus, claiming such violence was wrongly attributed to personal or political disputes. Bangladesh responded by characterizing India’s criticism as “systematic attempts” to stoke anti-Bangladesh sentiments.

The diplomatic dispute has affected multiple sectors, including visa services and sporting events. Both countries have suspended certain visa services and accused each other of failing to protect diplomatic missions. The tensions led to a Bangladeshi player being barred from the Indian Premier League tournament, which was followed by Bangladesh boycotting a World Cup event in India this month.

Sreeradha Datta, a Bangladesh expert at India’s Jindal School of International Affairs, defended India’s position: “Hindus in Bangladesh are a very vulnerable group that can’t defend themselves, and Yunus’ administration is in exit mode and deliberately looking the other way.”

For the families affected by the violence, the consequences are deeply personal. Das was known as a quiet, well-behaved man and was the sole breadwinner for his family. His death has left his wife and mother facing an uncertain future.

“When people say they saw it on their phones, my chest feels like it is going to burst,” his father said, referring to the widely shared videos of his son’s killing.

His mother, Shefali Rani Das, continues to demand justice: “They beat him, hung him from a tree, and burned him. I demand justice.”