Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh rally to demand protection from attacks

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Tens of thousands of minority Hindus rallied Friday to demand that the interim government in Muslim-majority Bangladesh protect them from a wave of attacks and intimidation and drop sedition cases against Hindu community leaders.

About 30,000 Hindus demonstrated at a major intersection in the southeastern city of Chattogram, chanting slogans demanding their rights as police and soldiers guarded the area. Other protests were reported elsewhere in the country.

Hindu groups say there have been thousands of attacks on Hindus since early August, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s secular government was overthrown and Hasina fled the country after a student-led uprising. Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who will lead an interim government after Hasina’s fall, says these figures are exaggerated.

Hindus make up about 8% of the country’s nearly 170 million residents, while Muslims make up about 91%.

The influential minority group Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has said there have been more than 2,000 attacks on Hindus since August 4 as the interim government has struggled to restore order.

United Nations human rights officials and other rights groups have expressed concern about human rights in the country under Yunus.

Hindus and other minority communities say the interim government has not adequately protected them and that hardline Islamists have become increasingly influential since Hasina’s ouster.

The issue extends beyond Bangladesh, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing concern over reports of attacks.

While US President Joe Biden’s administration has said it is monitoring Bangladesh’s human rights issues since Hasina’s ouster, US presidential candidate Donald Trump has unleashed what he described as “barbaric” violence against Hindus, Christians and other minorities in Bangladesh convicted.

In a message on

Hindu activists have been organizing protest rallies in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere since August to push for a set of eight demands, including a law for the protection of minorities, a ministry for minorities and a tribunal to prosecute acts of oppression against minorities . They are also looking for a five-day holiday for their biggest festival, Durga Puja.

Friday’s protest in Chattogram was hastily organized after sedition charges were filed Wednesday against 19 Hindu leaders, including prominent priest Chandan Kumar Dhar, at an Oct. 25 rally in that city. Police arrested two of the leaders, angering Hindus.

The charge stems from an event where a group of protesters allegedly placed a saffron flag above the flag of Bangladesh on a pillar, which was considered a disrespect to the national flag.

Hindu community leaders say the cases are politically motivated and demanded Thursday that they be withdrawn within 72 hours. Another Hindu rally was planned in Dhaka on Saturday.

In addition, supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party and the allied Jatiya party have said they too have been targeted since Hasina’s ouster. The Jatiya headquarters was destroyed and set on fire late Thursday.

On Friday, Jatiya party president GM Quader said his supporters would continue to hold rallies to demand their rights despite risking their lives. He said they would hold a rally at the party headquarters in Dhaka on Saturday to protest against commodity price hikes and what they called false accusations against their leaders and activists.

Later Friday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police announced it would ban all gatherings near the Jatiya Party headquarters. Hours after the police decision, the party said they had postponed their meeting to show respect for the law and that a new date for the meeting would be announced soon.

The police decision came after a student group strongly criticized the police administration for initially granting permission for the rally and threatened to block it.