Rights Groups and Diplomats Voice Concerns Over Attacks on Minorities in Bangladesh

Rights groups and diplomats in Bangladesh raised alarms on Tuesday over reports of attacks on minority communities, including Hindus, following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amidst mass protests.

Witnesses reported that businesses and homes owned by Hindus, a group perceived by some in the Muslim-majority nation as supporters of the ousted leader, were attacked on Monday. Police confirmed that mobs targeted allies of Hasina, with Awami League party offices being torched and looted across the country.

“Houses and shops of minority people were attacked, vandalized, and looted at least 97 places on Monday and Tuesday,” said Rana Dasgupta, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, in a statement. The group also reported that at least 10 Hindu temples were attacked by “miscreants” on Monday.

In one particularly tragic incident, a Hindu man was beaten to death in the southern Bagerhat district, according to a hospital official who requested anonymity due to safety concerns.

“Such attacks on minorities are against the fundamental spirit of the anti-discrimination student movement,” said Iftekharuzzaman, head of Transparency International Bangladesh.

The United States embassy in Dhaka called for “calm” on social media platform X, expressing concern over the reports of attacks on religious minorities and sites. This sentiment was echoed by European Union diplomats, with EU ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley urging all parties to exercise restraint, reject communal violence, and uphold the human rights of all Bangladeshis.

Monday marked the deadliest day of unrest since protests began in early July, with at least 122 people killed. Among those affected were homes of the Ahmadis, a minority Muslim sect, which were torched by mobs, as reported by a local newspaper. The house of celebrated Hindu musician Rahul Ananda, who had met French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Dhaka last year, was also torched.

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar expressed that New Delhi is “monitoring the situation with regard to the status of minorities” and reiterated that the government would “remain deeply concerned till law and order is visibly restored.”

As the situation remains volatile, the international community continues to call for peace and protection of minority groups in Bangladesh during this turbulent period.