30,000 Hindus Rally in Bangladesh, Demand Protection Amid Rising Attacks

In Bangladesh, around 30,000 Hindus rallied on Friday, demanding protection from ongoing attacks and the withdrawal of sedition cases against their community leaders. The protest took place in Chattogram, where demonstrators gathered at a major intersection, chanting for their rights under the guard of police and soldiers. Other demonstrations were also reported across the country.

Since the secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown in early August, Hindu groups report a surge in attacks, claiming there have been over 2,000 incidents targeting Hindus. Hasina fled the country after a student-led uprising, and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus now leads an interim government, which has struggled to maintain order. Yunus has dismissed the attack figures as exaggerated.

Hindus make up approximately 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million citizens, with Muslims constituting 91%. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council asserts that Hindu communities have faced increased harassment and that hard-line Islamists have gained influence since Hasina’s ouster. This has raised international concerns, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden’s administration, closely monitoring the situation. U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump condemned the violence in a recent statement on X, calling it “barbaric.”

Hindu activists have been rallying since August to demand stronger legal protections, including a law and ministry for minorities, a tribunal for prosecuting hate crimes, and a five-day holiday for Durga Puja. The Chattogram protest on Friday was spurred by sedition charges filed earlier in the week against 19 Hindu leaders, including priest Chandan Kumar Dhar, following an October 25 rally where a saffron flag was allegedly placed above the Bangladeshi flag. Hindu leaders argue the charges are politically motivated and demanded they be withdrawn within 72 hours. Another rally is planned for Saturday in Dhaka.

Supporters of the ousted Awami League and its ally, the Jatiya Party, have also reported being targeted since Hasina’s removal. Jatiya’s headquarters was attacked and set on fire on Thursday night. The party, led by G.M. Quader, plans further rallies in Dhaka to protest rising prices and what they describe as false charges against their leaders. Dhaka police announced a ban on rallies near Jatiya’s headquarters on Friday, leading the party to postpone its demonstration in compliance with the law.