Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

January 8, 2026

Abhishek Vij

When Bangladesh was created as a separate entity by splitting Pakistan into two with India’s help, it was believed that India was establishing another secular country in its neighborhood. However, today, Bangladesh, which has fallen victim to the religious fanaticism of extremists, has become a persecutor of the Hindu community. Hindus have lived in Bangladesh since its inception, even though they are a minority there. When a rebellion broke out against Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, she had to flee and seek refuge in India.

The power in Bangladesh temporarily fell into the hands of Muhammad Yunus. Since then, there has been no end to the atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh. In the last 19 days, six Hindus have been murdered in Bangladesh. On December 18, 2025, Dipu Chandra Das was murdered; on December 24, 2025, Amrit Mandal was murdered; on December 30, 2025, Bijendra Biswas was murdered; on December 31, 2025, Khokon Chandra Das was attacked and later died; on January 5, Rana Pratap was murdered in Jessore district; and on the same day, Sharath Chakraborty Mani, a young Hindu man, was murdered in Narsingdi. In addition, a Hindu widow was gang-raped. The animosity has even spread to sports. After Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the IPL, Bangladesh banned the broadcast of the next IPL cricket season, and their team refused to play in India in the T20 World Cup. Hindus constitute 7-8 percent of the population in Bangladesh.

The Hindu community is falling victim to mob violence. The reasons are political crisis, change of government, violent protests by the opposition, and the dominance of extremists over a weak law and order system. The frenzied mob makes false accusations of blasphemy against Hindus, and then violence erupts. The police administration adopts a lax attitude, which is why the murders are not being controlled. Previously, the Hindu community in Bangladesh has been a victim of violence at the hands of the majority community, but now the communal poison seems to have spread because Muhammad Yunus does not appear to be interested in holding elections.

Whenever power politics comes into play, anti-social elements begin to spread violence. Meanwhile, in West Bengal, there is also political maneuvering regarding the entry of Hindus from Bangladesh. With elections approaching, there are allegations of attempts to create voter lists for these Hindus. In short, the situation there is going from bad to worse. The Indian government is being urged to restrain Bangladesh using its economic or military power. The government says it is making every possible effort, but there is also an indication that power politics in West Bengal might be hindering these efforts. We believe that human values should be prioritized over politics. This turmoil of killing innocent people must end.For this, there is no harm if the Indian government has to take strict measures. Bangladesh is heavily dependent on India economically. Even most of Bangladesh’s electricity supply comes from India. Just as we brought Pakistan to its senses by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, this electricity supply can also be stopped. In addition, India can teach Bangladesh a lesson by stopping exports, but it would be better if the matter could be resolved through dialogue before resorting to such harsh measures. It would be more appropriate to manage the situation on the basis of shared Bengali culture rather than creating another enemy on the border