A minority rights organization in Bangladesh has expressed deep worry about a surge in violence against minorities in the country. The Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) documented 505 incidents in the first four months of this year. These incidents, detailed in their report titled ‘The Persecution Continues: Minority Communities Under Sustained Attack in Bangladesh,’ spanned 62 districts and all 8 divisions of the country.
The report highlighted a range of distressing events, including killings, physical assaults, kidnappings, sexual violence, attacks on temples and religious sites, land seizures, arson, looting, intimidation, and instances of blasphemy-related persecution. According to the HRCBM, these incidents are not isolated occurrences but rather part of a recurring pattern of violence, sexual abuse, land dispossession, religious assaults, mob violence, and failures in institutional protection affecting minority groups nationwide.
The documented violations encompassed various forms of harm, with 144 cases of kidnapping and physical assault, 132 incidents of property attacks, land grabbing, arson, and looting, and 100 cases of murder and suspicious deaths. Additionally, the report recorded 95 temple attacks and religious violence, 28 cases of sexual violence including rape, gang rape, and 6 blasphemy-related incidents.
The HRCBM criticized the ongoing lack of protection, accountability, and fair access to justice for vulnerable minority communities. It pointed out persistent issues such as delayed responses, inadequate investigations, victim or family intimidation, and a lack of visible accountability in many cases. The organization condemned the failure of Bangladeshi authorities to ensure sufficient protection for minority groups.
Bangladesh has seen a rise in violence against minorities, particularly Hindus, during the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s eighteen-month tenure. This trend has sparked global outrage among people and human rights organizations. Incidents under the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government have further highlighted a significant increase in targeted attacks on minority communities in the country.
Earlier in April, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, an organization advocating against religious discrimination, expressed serious concerns about communal violence before and after this year’s national elections. They documented 133 incidents, including killings, rape, violence against women, temple attacks, looting, and assaults on indigenous communities.
