Bangladeshi Hindu rights activist exposes over 1,000 incidents of Islamist atrocities on Hindus at UNHCR, tells OpIndia ‘Yunus Aligned with Islamists, India our last hope’
The 5th of August 2024 marked the unceremonious ouster of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. The dark day also marked the departure of the safety and dignity of Hindus and other religious minorities as Islamist mobs began singling out Hindus for their religious identity to kill, loot, and rape them, while also vandalising and desecrating their temples and idols. Speaking at the recently held eighteenth session of the “Forum on Minority Issues” organised by the United Nations Human Rights Commission, Dipan Mitra, the Bangladeshi Hindu rights activist, highlighted incidents of atrocities against Bangladeshi Hindus at the hands of Islamists. During his speech at the conference held on 28th November, Dipan Mitra, the President of the Bureau of Human Rights & Justice (BHRJ), said that while the minority Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and tribal communities have constantly been subjected to state and social discrimination since Bangladesh’s liberation in 1971, the situation has taken a “terrible shape”. He pointed out that a systematic process of the “ethnic cleansing of minority Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and tribal communities is underway.” Hundreds of Hindus killed, women raped and forcibly converted to Islam Highlighting the Islamist crimes against Hindus in Bangladesh, Mitra said that in the last one year, over 183 Hindus have been killed in the last one year. 219 Hindu women have been raped. Thousands of Hindu homes and businesses have been attacked, vandalised, and set on fire in the last year. 78 girls from Hindu and Buddhist minorities were forcibly converted to Islam. “Attacks on Hindus on charges of blasphemy, occupation of Hindu monasteries and temples have become a daily occurrence in Bangladesh. Attacks on Hindu businessmen’s businesses and extortion are increasing at a massive rate. Not a day goes by when Hindu property is not confiscated, houses are not attacked, vandalized and arson is not committed,” he said. Back in August 2024, OpIndia had reported numerous verified incidents of target attacks by Muslim mobs on Hindu temples and Hindu houses. At that time, it was Islamo-leftist media outlets like Al Jazeera, New York Times, and DW, among others, that tried to dismiss violence against Hindus as acts of ‘political retribution’ for supporting the Awami League. In reality, however, while there were incidents wherein the mob targeted Hindu leaders of the Awami League, the attacks are not confined to political rivalries or revenge. Hindu temples were targeted in Natore, Dhamrai in Dhaka, Kalapara in Patuakhali, Shariatpur, and Faridpur, as well as houses in Jessore, Noakhali, Meherpur, Noakhali, Chandpur, and Khulna. Dinajpur saw the vandalisation of 40 Hindu shops. These incidents unfolded in the initial days after Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee to India on 5th August 2024. Since Muhammad Yunus assumed charge as the advisor to the unelected interim government, Hindus have persistently been subjected to hate, harassment, killings, rape and loot at the hands of Islamists emboldened like never before. Hindus forcibly removed from jobs in Bangladesh Speaking at the conference, Dipan Mitra also raised the issue of a systematic campaign being run to expel Hindu officials and teachers from their jobs. “Election Commission Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath, Additional Director General of the Primary Education Department Uttam Kumar Das, Press Council Secretary Shyamal Chandra Karmakar. Press Secretary of the Bangladesh Deputy Embassy in Kolkata Ranjan Sen, Counsellor at the High Commission in Canada, Aparna Rani Pal have been dismissed,” he said. The BHRJ president further stated that in the last year, at least 176 Hindu teachers from various schools, colleges and universities have been forced to resign or dismissed from their jobs. “Not only that, but Hindus are also being expelled from the Bangladesh Police. More than a hundred police officers have already been dismissed, including Krishnapada Roy. 252 Sub-Inspectors (SIs) who were recommended for final appointment and training at Rajshahi Sarada Police Academy in 2024 have been released. It has also been found that out of these 252, 99 are Hindus, two are Buddhists, and one is Christian,” the Hindu rights activist said. He also pointed out that the Home Ministry under Muhammad Yunus has instructed IGP Baharul Alam not to appoint any Hindus to the Bangladesh Police The discrimination extends to paramilitary forces recruitment as well. “In 2025, 693 people were recruited into the paramilitary forces, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), but none of them belonged to a minority group,” he said. In addition, Hindu doctors have been removed from important positions in various hospitals. “Even a prominent doctor of Bangladesh, Samantalal Sen, has been framed in a false murder case.” OpIndia reported last year, Islamists in Bangladesh harassed Hindu intellectuals and professionals and forced them to re
The 5th of August 2024 marked the unceremonious ouster of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. The dark day also marked the departure of the safety and dignity of Hindus and other religious minorities as Islamist mobs began singling out Hindus for their religious identity to kill, loot, and rape them, while also vandalising and desecrating their temples and idols.
Speaking at the recently held eighteenth session of the “Forum on Minority Issues” organised by the United Nations Human Rights Commission, Dipan Mitra, the Bangladeshi Hindu rights activist, highlighted incidents of atrocities against Bangladeshi Hindus at the hands of Islamists.
During his speech at the conference held on 28th November, Dipan Mitra, the President of the Bureau of Human Rights & Justice (BHRJ), said that while the minority Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and tribal communities have constantly been subjected to state and social discrimination since Bangladesh’s liberation in 1971, the situation has taken a “terrible shape”. He pointed out that a systematic process of the “ethnic cleansing of minority Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and tribal communities is underway.”
Hundreds of Hindus killed, women raped and forcibly converted to Islam
Highlighting the Islamist crimes against Hindus in Bangladesh, Mitra said that in the last one year, over 183 Hindus have been killed in the last one year. 219 Hindu women have been raped. Thousands of Hindu homes and businesses have been attacked, vandalised, and set on fire in the last year. 78 girls from Hindu and Buddhist minorities were forcibly converted to Islam.
“Attacks on Hindus on charges of blasphemy, occupation of Hindu monasteries and temples have become a daily occurrence in Bangladesh. Attacks on Hindu businessmen’s businesses and extortion are increasing at a massive rate. Not a day goes by when Hindu property is not confiscated, houses are not attacked, vandalized and arson is not committed,” he said.
Back in August 2024, OpIndia had reported numerous verified incidents of target attacks by Muslim mobs on Hindu temples and Hindu houses. At that time, it was Islamo-leftist media outlets like Al Jazeera, New York Times, and DW, among others, that tried to dismiss violence against Hindus as acts of ‘political retribution’ for supporting the Awami League. In reality, however, while there were incidents wherein the mob targeted Hindu leaders of the Awami League, the attacks are not confined to political rivalries or revenge.
Hindu temples were targeted in Natore, Dhamrai in Dhaka, Kalapara in Patuakhali, Shariatpur, and Faridpur, as well as houses in Jessore, Noakhali, Meherpur, Noakhali, Chandpur, and Khulna. Dinajpur saw the vandalisation of 40 Hindu shops. These incidents unfolded in the initial days after Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee to India on 5th August 2024. Since Muhammad Yunus assumed charge as the advisor to the unelected interim government, Hindus have persistently been subjected to hate, harassment, killings, rape and loot at the hands of Islamists emboldened like never before.
Hindus forcibly removed from jobs in Bangladesh
Speaking at the conference, Dipan Mitra also raised the issue of a systematic campaign being run to expel Hindu officials and teachers from their jobs.
“Election Commission Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath, Additional Director General of the Primary Education Department Uttam Kumar Das, Press Council Secretary Shyamal Chandra Karmakar. Press Secretary of the Bangladesh Deputy Embassy in Kolkata Ranjan Sen, Counsellor at the High Commission in Canada, Aparna Rani Pal have been dismissed,” he said.
The BHRJ president further stated that in the last year, at least 176 Hindu teachers from various schools, colleges and universities have been forced to resign or dismissed from their jobs.
“Not only that, but Hindus are also being expelled from the Bangladesh Police. More than a hundred police officers have already been dismissed, including Krishnapada Roy. 252 Sub-Inspectors (SIs) who were recommended for final appointment and training at Rajshahi Sarada Police Academy in 2024 have been released. It has also been found that out of these 252, 99 are Hindus, two are Buddhists, and one is Christian,” the Hindu rights activist said.
He also pointed out that the Home Ministry under Muhammad Yunus has instructed IGP Baharul Alam not to appoint any Hindus to the Bangladesh Police
The discrimination extends to paramilitary forces recruitment as well. “In 2025, 693 people were recruited into the paramilitary forces, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), but none of them belonged to a minority group,” he said.
In addition, Hindu doctors have been removed from important positions in various hospitals. “Even a prominent doctor of Bangladesh, Samantalal Sen, has been framed in a false murder case.”
OpIndia reported last year, Islamists in Bangladesh harassed Hindu intellectuals and professionals and forced them to resign from their jobs. Many were pressured to leave Bangladesh solely because of their religious identity. In August 2024 alone, as many as 60 teachers/professors/govt officials, who are Hindus, were forced to resign.
Over the months, the situation has not turned any better for Hindu professionals. In October this year, a Hindu journalist, Liton Kumar Chowdhury, was attacked by a mob in Sitakunda. He was attacked by members of the Asad Bahini group. The Muslim mobsters labelled Liton Kumar Chowdhury an “Awami League Agent” who was spreading “fake news”.
In July this year, Muslim students studying at Chittagong University in Bangladesh harassed a Hindu Professor named Dr Kushal Baran Chakraborty and forcibly stopped his promotion. Muslim students gathered outside the office building in a pre-planned manner and began creating a ruckus. Many of them were members of the radical Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
Freedom of speech of minorities is being stifled in Bangladesh. Atheists, writers, and bloggers are being killed and exiled from the country
The Bureau of Human Rights and Justice (BHRJ) president further stated that minorities in Bangladesh have no right to freedom of speech. Music and dance are being forced to stop all kinds of cultural events.
Notably, it was reported in November this year that the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus scrapped the posts of assistant teachers for music and physical education in primary schools. The Yunus regime’s decision was a clear attempt at pandering to Islamists, as radical Islamist outfits in Bangladesh had been campaigning for the recruitment of Islamic scholars instead of music teachers.
The Bureau of Human Rights & Justice’s analysis says that since 2013, several secular atheists, writers, bloggers and publishers have been killed or seriously injured by terrorists in Bangladesh. Since 2023, at least 12 freethinkers and bloggers have been killed. Hundreds of secular atheists, writers and bloggers have fled abroad to save their lives.
Chinmoy Krishna Das jailed over bogus charges
At the UNHCR forum, Dipan Mitra highlighted the case of Chinmoy Krishna Das, an ISKCON monk, the spokesperson of Bangladesh’s Sanatan Jagaran Manch and the chief of Pundarik Dham in Chittagong. This was booked under dubious ‘sedition’ charges. However, in reality, he was arrested because of his advocacy for Hindu rights and raising his voice against atrocities being committed against Hindus in the country.
Mitra also drew the Forum’s attention towards attacks on religious places of Hindus and other non-Muslim communities.
“An innocent ISKCON monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu, has been detained in prison for a year without any charges. His only crime – he protested the atrocities on minority Hindus and Buddhists. There is no place for non-Muslims in Bangladesh. Hundreds of shrines have been attacked, vandalised and set on fire in the last one year. On January 23, an organisation called the World Sufi Organisation held a press conference at the National Press Club and said that at least 99 shrines have been attacked since August 2024,” he said.
Dipan Mitra demanded the immediate unconditional release of Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu. He further stressed that the international community cannot stay silent and needs to speak out and play an active role in protecting Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and indigenous minorities in Bangladesh, as well as in protecting their social, political and religious rights.
Notably, in November this year, the Muhammad Yunus-led regime in Bangladesh arrested prominent Baul singer Abul Sarkar on allegations of making ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Islam and Allah during the course of a musical performance. Arrested on the complaint of one Mufti Mohammed Abdullah. Abul Sarkar was hounded by violent Muslim mobs operating under the banner of ‘Tawhidi Janata‘ and ‘Alems-Ulama’, outside the court premises. Chants of ‘একটাদুইটাবাউলধর, ধইরাধইরাজবাইকর (Pick one Baul at a time and slaughter them)’ rocked through the streets of Manikganj.
In another incident demonstrating Bangladesh’s rapid pivot towards Islamic fanaticism and intolerance, hardline Islamist groups in Bangladesh issued public threats to demolish the revered Mausoleum of Fakir Lalon Shah, the 19th-century mystic poet and spiritual leader whose syncretic philosophy has long symbolized cultural harmony in the region.
Rising ‘militancy’ in Bangladesh
The Hindu rights activist further spoke about the rising extremism and militancy in Bangladesh. He said that during on 5th August 2024, hundreds of militants and criminals escaped from prisons in Bangladesh. “Among the escaped prisoners, 700 criminals, including 70 militants, have not yet been arrested,” he said.
Islamists working on agenda to eradicate indigenous hill tribes
It also pointed out that Islamic jihadists and Bangladeshi Army are colluding to drive out indigenous populations from their native lands. Dipan Mitra mentioned a specific case wherein Bengali Muslim settlers and the army carried out a brutal attack on hill tribes in Khagrachari and Rangamati. “In this barbaric attack, 8 indigenous people were killed and more than a hundred were injured, all of whom were hill tribes,” he said.
He added that 175 shops in Dighinala and at least 200 small and large businesses in Rangamati were damaged. The Islamists also attacked the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council office in Rangamati and burned 9 cars and a motorcycle. In addition, Islamists vandalized and looted the Buddhist religious institution Maitree Vihar.
Yunus is aligned with Jamat-e-Islami to Bangaldesh Islamic country, India is last hope for Bangladeshi Hindus: BHRJ President tells OpIndia
In a conversation with OpIndia, Dipan Mitra said that the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh is worsening day by day. He said that under Yunus regime, Hindus are in the “most vulnerable” situation. Pointing out the blatant Hinduphobia and discrimination under Muhammad Yunus’s rule, Mitra said that for the last one year, “not a single Hindu has been recruited in key government positions.”
The Hindu rights activist further stated that while Hindus and other religious minority groups are specifically targeted for their religious identity by Islamists, Muhammad Yunus repeatedly blames India and Indian media, dismissing the real plight and persecution of Hindus as ‘propaganda’ and ‘exaggeration’.
“[Muhammad] Yunus is totally aligned with Islamist groups to target Hindus. I don’t think he will even let the elections take place next year. Even if he does, he would make sure the Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies come to power. He wants to make Bangladesh a Islamic country,” he said.
Further unpacking Muhammad Yunus’s Islamist agenda, Mitra told OpIndia that after banning Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League from partaking in the coming elections next year, the interim government’s advisor is also try to eliminate the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) from the race for power.
Notably, under Yunus’s watch, the banned anti-India and Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami was unbanned, Islamist leaders were released from jail, while the crackdown on Awami League leaders intensified.
Dipan Mitra said that Yunus has not allowed an ailing former Bangladesh prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s son and BNP’s acting chairperson Tarique Rahman to visit Bangladesh to meet his mother. Rahman currently resides in the UK.
He said that while the Yunus regime makes perfunctory gestures to allow Rahman’s return to Bangladesh, it never really facilitates his return.
Meanwhile, Mitra also urged the Indian government to intervene and build pressure on the Yunus regime to protect Hindus instead of aligning with Islamists and dodging accountability. He also stressed that for Bangladeshi Hindus, now only Indian and the Indian government are the last hope.
“India is our last hope. India cannot stay silent. India should think about the situation of Bangladeshi Hindus before its too late. The Islamists want to either kill or convert all Hindus. Afghanistan was once Hindu, Hindus in Pakistan are also struggling for survival, and now Bangladesh is headed the same direction. India must take an initiative to save Bangladeshi Hindus,” he said.
About Dipan Mitra
Dipan Mitra is a Bangladeshi Hindu residing France. He is currently the President of Bureau of Human Rights and Justice. Mitra has also been associated with World Hindu Federation – Bangladesh Chapter as its Secretary General. He also is the coordinator of the WEF-European Union Chapter. In addition, Mitra serves as the Executive Member of South Asian Peoples Forum.
