258 Incidents of Violence Against Minorities in Six Months

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has claimed that 258 incidents of communal violence occurred across the country from January 1 to June 30, 2025.

On Thursday (July 10), during a press conference at the National Press Club, the council’s acting general secretary, Manindra Kumar Nath, presented these findings. In a written statement, he detailed that during this period, there were 27 incidents of minority killings, 20 cases of violence against women, including rape and gang rape, 59 attacks, vandalism, looting, and arson targeting places of worship, 21 cases of arrests and torture on allegations of religious defamation, 27 incidents of attacks, vandalism, looting, and arson on homes and businesses, 12 cases of land and property seizures, 4 incidents of physical assault and forced resignations, 12 attacks on ethnic minorities, and 16 incidents of interference with religious rituals and abductions.

The press conference was chaired by Nirmal Rozario, a president of the organization. Other attendees included co-president Professor Dr. Nim Chandra Bhowmik, presidium members Kajal Debnath, J.L. Bhowmik, Ranjan Karmakar, executive general secretary of the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance Palash Kanti Dey, and president of the Rishi Panchayet Forum Ramananda Das.

Expressing frustration, the leaders stated, “The government has dismissed the council’s reports as false, exaggerated, and fabricated, adopting a strategy of denial instead of addressing these communal violence incidents seriously. Such acts against minorities are not only criminal offenses but also crimes against humanity, and they continue unabated.”

Voicing their discontent, they added, “The culture of impunity and the lack of noticeable efforts to identify and bring perpetrators to justice under the law are encouraging such heinous acts by miscreants. This situation is a significant obstacle to ensuring human rights for victims and establishing the rule of law.”

The minority organization representatives expressed anger over the lack of representation and participation of religious and ethnic minorities in state reform initiatives. They stated, “This has added a new dimension to perpetuating ongoing discrimination and oppression against minorities instead of challenging it.”