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The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has echoed the “urgent concerns” raised by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council over ongoing violence targeting Hindus and escalating threats faced by religious minorities in Bangladesh.
“With national elections approaching in February, the safety, dignity, and security of minority communities must be treated as a priority, not an afterthought. The international community must pay attention and hold those in power accountable,” HAF said in a social media post responding to a January 6 statement by the Council’s Acting General Secretary, Manindra Kumar Nath.
In his statement, Nath said that as the 13th National Parliamentary Election draws closer, incidents of communal violence are increasing at an alarming rate.
He reported that in December alone, at least 51 incidents of violence occurred. These included 10 murders, 10 incidents of theft and robbery, 23 cases of occupation, looting, and arson involving homes, businesses, temples, and land, four cases of detention and torture on false allegations of religious blasphemy and being agents of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), one attempted rape, and three incidents of physical assault.
According to the statement, the pattern of violence continued into the first week of January. On January 2, paddy crops on 96 decimals of land belonging to Satyaranjan Das were set on fire in Ramgati, Lakshmipur. On January 3, businessman Khokon Chandra Das was brutally murdered in Shariatpur after being hacked and set on fire. Early the same morning, a robbery was carried out at the home of Milon Das in Ward No. 4 of Amuchia Union under Boalkhali Upazila in Chattogram, where family members were taken hostage. A similar incident occurred the same day at the home of Sanu Das in Homna, Cumilla, from where 10 bhori of gold ornaments, 12 bhori of silver, and Tk 20,000 in cash were looted.
On January 4, the statement noted that gold trader Shubho Poddar was tied up and approximately 30 bhori of gold ornaments were looted from his shop. On the same day, a 40-year-old Hindu widowed woman was “raped” in Kaliganj, Jhenaidah; “she was tied to a tree, her head was shaved, and she was subjected to severe torture.”
The statement further said that “religious extremist miscreants” demanded the removal of Annapurna Debnath, Deputy Commissioner of Kurigram and the Returning Officer, branding her an ally of a “fascist” government and a member of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) for properly carrying out her election-related duties. It added that on the same day, local NCP leader M. A. Tafsir and his associate Manjurul Alam were arrested by police while allegedly attempting extortion at the residence of Santosh Kumar Roy in Bareya village under Bochaganj Upazila of Dinajpur.
On January 5, Rana Pratap Bairagi, a 37-year-old ice factory businessman from Manirampur, Jashore, was called out of his business premises and brutally murdered in public through gunfire and throat-slitting. On the same day, Moni Chakraborty, a grocery shop owner in Palash, Narsingdi, was stabbed to death by miscreants. The statement said many more such incidents have occurred across the country, with full details yet to be compiled.
The statement also highlighted concerns raised by the Central Committee of the Bangladesh Hindu Christian Oikya Parishad, which expressed “deep anger, concern, and strong condemnation” over the scale and intensity of the violence.
The Parishad said minority communities nationwide are gripped by fear and uncertainty about the future, adding, “Minorities have already become apprehensive about being able to cast their votes freely and without obstruction in the upcoming parliamentary election.”
It further said it believes communal miscreants are carrying out these acts to forcibly prevent minorities from voting for their preferred candidates. The Parishad strongly urged the Government of Bangladesh and the Election Commission of Bangladesh to take immediate and effective measures to halt the violence.
