Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus revealed that police records from January to December 2025 documented 645 incidents involving minorities. Among these, 71 incidents were identified as having communal elements, while 574 were deemed non-communal. Yunus emphasized that the majority of cases were criminal rather than communal in nature.
Yunus highlighted that most incidents impacting minorities or properties were a result of criminal activities unrelated to religion. He emphasized Bangladesh’s commitment to addressing crime transparently and accurately. The data, compiled from official police records, indicated that the law-and-order challenges were complex and underscored the importance of basing public discussions on facts.
The findings indicated that communal incidents mainly involved vandalism or desecration of religious sites, while the majority of incidents affecting minorities were linked to criminal activities such as neighborhood disputes, land conflicts, and theft. Yunus stressed the need for accountability in addressing these crimes.
Yunus further noted that while the crimes demand accountability, the data showed that the majority of incidents involving minority victims were driven by criminal and social factors rather than communal hostility. He highlighted that formal registrations were made in hundreds of cases, with arrests in many investigations and ongoing inquiries in others.
Bangladesh continues to face significant law-and-order challenges, with an average of 3,000-3,500 people losing their lives to violent crime annually. The statement acknowledged the seriousness of these statistics and emphasized that violent crime affects all communities irrespective of religion, ethnicity, or geography.
Notably, attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh have increased since the formation of an interim administration under Muhammad Yunus’s leadership. Recently, a Hindu man was beaten to death in Gazipur district while trying to protect a teenage employee from an assault, sparking outrage in the local community.
