Bangladesh Sees Rising Mob Violence Amid Attacks on Hindu Minority
The political climate in Bangladesh has worsened for minority communities since the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, with a significant increase in mob violence and targeted attacks on Hindus raising alarm among international rights organizations.
By : Online Desk
Update: 2026-01-06 11:18 GMT
On January 5, within hours of Hindu newspaper editor Rana Kanti Bairagi being shot dead in Bangladesh’s Jessore district, reports surfaced of another killing — Mani Chakraborty, a Hindu grocery shop owner, who succumbed to injuries after being attacked in Narsingdi. The two murders, carried out by unidentified assailants, marked the fifth and sixth killings of Hindus in Bangladesh in just 18 days, following the lynching of garment worker Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh on December 18.
A review of Indian and Bangladeshi media reports reveals a far more troubling pattern. At least 11 Hindus have been killed across Bangladesh over a 35-day period, pointing to a sustained rise in violence against the minority community since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted on August 5, 2024. Among the victims are a 1971 Liberation War veteran and his wife, found murdered at their home in Rangpur with their throats slit.
The interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus has repeatedly dismissed the killings as isolated incidents or exaggerated claims, insisting they are not communal in nature. However, the scale and frequency of the attacks suggest otherwise. Since the political transition, assaults on minorities, their businesses and places of worship have increased, raising concerns over the government’s handling of law and order.
The deterioration is not limited to minority-targeted violence. A December 2025 report by Bangladeshi rights group Ain o Salish Kendra recorded 197 deaths in mob attacks in 2025 alone, contributing to a total of 293 mob-related killings since 2024.
International rights bodies have also flagged the situation. Washington DC–based Hindus for Human Rights has urged the interim government to establish a Ministry for Minority Affairs and ensure the safety of vulnerable communities.
While the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das drew condemnation from India and abroad — with India’s Ministry of External Affairs calling the violence against minorities a matter of grave concern — subsequent killings have continued to emerge across districts, often under unclear or suspicious circumstances.
The handling of these cases has deepened scepticism about accountability under the interim regime. A recent viral video from a police station in Habiganj, showing radical activists openly threatening officers and boasting of past violence, has further underlined the erosion of institutional authority.
As Bangladesh moves closer to a crucial election, questions remain over whether investigations into the killings of Hindus will be pursued with urgency and transparency — or dismissed as exceptions in a rapidly worsening law-and-order climate.