Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

According to the United States group called the Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Hindus in Bangladesh are among the people who suffer harm. In 2017, there were hundreds of cases of "killings, attempts to kill, death threats, attacks, rapes, kidnappings, and attacks on homes, shops, and temples" against people from smaller religious groups. A law called the 'Vested Property Act,' which was earlier called the 'Enemy Property Act,' allowed others to take away up to 40% of Hindu-owned land. Hindu temples have also been damaged and broken in Bangladesh.

Many Hindu refugees from Bangladesh have said they were hurt and scared. A human rights group in the United States, called Refugees International, said that religious minorities, especially Hindus, still face unfair treatment in Bangladesh.

A millitant group called Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has openly asked for making the country like the Taliban. In 2005, when this group was part of the government, a writer named Hiranmay Karlekar said it would be hard to stop this idea, but he believed most people in the country would fight strongly against it.

A writer from Bangladesh, Taslima Nasrin, wrote a book called *Lajja* in 1993 about attacks on Hindus and dislike for non-religious ideas in Bangladesh after a mosque in India called Babri Masjid was torn down. The book was banned in Bangladesh but made the world more aware of the problems Hindus face there.

In October 2006, USCIRF wrote a report called "Policy Focus on Bangladesh," saying that violence from religious extremists had been rising since the last election. Hindus were especially in danger from violence linked to religion, politics, or crime. Some people attacked Hindus to make them leave so their land could be taken. The report also said Hindus were seen as being loyal to both Bangladesh and India, which made them targets of the Islamic fundamentalists from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. On 2 November 2006, USCIRF told Bangladesh to protect religious minorities and asked the U.S. government to help before the next election in January 2007. Temples were also attacked and destroyed in 2011.

On 28 February 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal gave Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, the Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami, a death sentence for crimes he did during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. After this, Jamaat-e-Islami and its student group, Islami Chhatra Shibir, attacked Hindus in many parts of the country. They stole from Hindu people, burned their houses, and damaged and set fire to their temples. The government blamed Jamaat-e-Islami for these attacks, but the Jamaat leaders said they were not involved. Hindu leaders protested and asked for justice. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh told the police to start an investigation into the attacks. The US Ambassador to Bangladesh said he was worried about Jamaat’s attacks on Hindus. The violence included stealing from Hindu people and shops, burning their homes, hurting women, and destroying temples. Community leaders said over 50 temples and 1,500 houses in 20 districts were destroyed.

A report in 2017 said at least 107 Hindus were killed that year, 31 went missing, and 782 were forced to leave the country or told to leave. Also, 23 Hindus were forced to change their religion. At least 25 Hindu women and children were raped, and 235 temples and statues were broken. The total number of harmful acts against Hindus in 2017 was 6,474. During the 2019 Bangladesh elections, eight Hindu houses were burned in Thakurgaon alone.

In April 2019, idols of the Hindu goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati were broken by unknown people at a new temple in Kazipara, Brahmanbaria. In the same month, statues of Hindu gods in two temples being built in Madaripur Sadar were also damaged.

In October 2021, many Hindu temples, including an ISKCON center, and houses of Hindus in Bangladesh were attacked and burned by a Muslim crowd of more than 10,000 people. This happened in at least 10 of the 64 districts after someone said a Quran was placed on Hanuman’s lap during a Durga Puja festival. In Haziganj Upazila, at least 4 people died and 24 were hurt when police fired on a group trying to attack a temple. Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, leader of a Hindu group, said 17 temples were attacked, and over 100 people were injured. Shibu Prasad Roy, part of the festival's organizing team, said, "At first, 15 to 20 young people attacked our temple in Cumilla, then hundreds joined." Reports say false news spread on social media helped cause more attacks on Hindus. In 2016, a fake Facebook post accusing a Hindu of insulting Islam led to hundreds of Hindu homes being burned. In Cox’s Bazar, rumors that a Buddhist insulted the Quran caused a mob to destroy Buddhist temples. A report said Jamaat-e-Islami was involved in these attacks.

Members of the then ruling Awami League and its student group, Chhatra League, have also been linked to attacks on Hindus. Officials often find them planning these attacks for political gain.

In 2024, up to December 8, 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities were reported in Bangladesh, according to Indian Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh.

Since 1951, the Hindu population in Bangladesh has dropped by 15.1% over 71 years, while the Muslim population grew by the same 15.1%. Hindus made up 22% of the population in 1951 but only 13.5% in 1974 and 6.9% in 2022, a total drop of more than two-thirds. Hindus and other groups have faced regular attacks, including during the Bangladesh genocide, the Liberation War, and many massacres. In these, rape has been used as a weapon. Groups responsible for violence against Hindus include the Pakistani Military, Al Sham, Razakars, the Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Urdu-speaking Biharis.

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