Bangladesh has witnessed a wave of escalating attacks on minority communities after the 2024 political upheaval, with communal violence increasingly intertwined with politically motivated reprisals
DHAKA — Bangladesh has witnessed a wave of escalating attacks on minority communities after the 2024 political upheaval, with communal violence increasingly intertwined with politically motivated reprisals, a report has stated.
It noted that following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, incidents targeting minority homes, businesses and places of worship triggered widespread concern, particularly as Hindus were widely perceived to be politically aligned with the Awami League.
“The insecurity faced by religious minorities in Bangladesh cannot be attributed to a single cause, but rather to overlapping dynamics of political instability, religious intolerance, competing narratives of national identity, local disputes and weaknesses in law enforcement, specifically after the July 2024 uprising. The fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024 created a period of political uncertainty and a vacuum in which attacks on minority communities became a prominent concern,” according to a report in South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP)
“The uprising complicated the situation of minority communities, as they were linked to Awami League politics, leading to questions of national loyalty. The ambiguity highlighted in the data on attacks on minority communities adds to the insecurity of the minority community. Current trends underscore both the continuing vulnerability of these communities and the need for effective protection and accountability from the administration and law enforcement agencies,” it added.
Citing data compiled by the Dhaka-based Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), the report underscored the growing incidence of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh, with attacks witnessing a significant rise in 2026.
The latest HRSS findings, covering July to September 2026, recorded at least six attacks on minority communities, leaving six people injured. The incidents also involved the vandalism of two temples, five idols and four homes.
The situation had already shown a sharp deterioration in the first half of 2026, when HRSS documented 50 attacks on religious minorities, up from 10 during the corresponding period in 2025. The number of injured persons also surged from four to 56, the SATP report mentioned.
HRSS recorded 28 incidents targeting religious and ethnic minorities in 2025, claiming one life and leaving 16 others injured, while more than 56 shrines reportedly came under attack, were vandalised or looted.
The scale of violence was significantly higher in 2024, when the rights body documented 112 such incidents, two deaths and 83 injuries, besides damage to 28 temples, 31 idols, 284 homes and 240 shops and business establishments, the report noted.
Last month, a Hindu man was allegedly stabbed to death, while three homes belonging to Hindu families were vandalised and looted in a separate incident, local media reported.
These latest incidents raised fresh concerns over the safety of minority communities in the country.
The deceased Hindu man, identified as 43-year-old Rabendra Rishi, who owned a salon, was allegedly stabbed to death by a man after refusing to provide a haircut on credit in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh.
In a separate incident, three homes belonging to Hindu families were vandalised and looted in Chak Karimpur village of Pirganj upazila in Rangpur district, following a social media post that allegedly offended the religious sentiments of Muslims, local media reported, citing police.
These attacks came amid escalating atrocities on minority communities, particularly Hindus in Bangladesh, a trend that began during the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and has persisted under the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration.