Minority Watch, Dhaka – The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (HBCUC), the nation’s largest minority rights group, has accused the interim government of failing to protect religious and ethnic minorities amid rising violence and harassment. In a press conference on Thursday, the organization claimed that state institutions are being weaponized against minority communities.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, came to power after a student-led uprising in August forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India. According to the HBCUC, since then, minority groups have faced escalating violence and systematic discrimination.
Rising Communal Violence
The HBCUC reported 174 incidents of communal violence—including 23 murders and 9 rapes—between August 21 and December 31, 2024. The attacks ranged from arson, vandalism, and looting to forced takeovers of properties and businesses. In addition, 15 individuals were arrested or tortured on accusations of undermining Islam.
The council also noted that between August 4 and August 20, 2024, there were 2,010 incidents of communal violence, including nine murders, four rapes, and 69 attacks on places of worship.
While the government has acknowledged 1,254 cases as of January 11, 2025, with 354 still under investigation, authorities have mostly attributed the violence to political, rather than communal, motives—a stance the HBCUC strongly rejects.
“The government’s denial of communal violence, coupled with its failure to arrest and prosecute perpetrators, has allowed impunity to flourish,” said Manindra Kumar Nath, acting general secretary of the HBCUC. “As a result, minority populations across the country are increasingly at risk.”
State-Sponsored Discrimination?
The HBCUC has accused the government of systematically excluding minorities from state institutions. Among 321 recently dismissed cadet sub-inspectors, 103 were from minority communities.
Similarly, 16 of 33 dismissed female officers were religious minorities. The council condemned these dismissals as part of a broader “state-sponsored purge” of minority representation.
⇒Click here to read the original statement of HBCUC
The organization also highlighted the disqualification of 82 religious minority candidates from the 43rd Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, viewing it as a deliberate attempt to erase minority voices from government institutions.
Additionally, minority teachers have been forced to resign under mob pressure, leaving them and their families in precarious conditions.
Of the 804 sub-inspectors dismissed in the 40th Cadet Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment process, 175 were minorities.
While minorities make up less than 9% of Bangladesh’s population, they represented 21.77% of all dismissed trainees, a figure that highlights their disproportionate exclusion from state institutions.
The council also pointed to alarming disparities in the judicial system, including the fact that of 23 new appointments to the High Court, only one was from a minority community.
Similarly, of 228 new appointments in higher courts, only one Deputy Attorney General and one Assistant Attorney General were from minority groups.
“We see the interim government using state institutions to target minorities,” Nath added. “This is a betrayal, especially considering the government’s origins in an anti-discrimination movement.”
Targeting Minority Leaders and False Cases
The HBCUC condemned the persecution of minority leaders, calling for the release of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, who was imprisoned on sedition charges. Many minority activists have gone into hiding due to politically motivated cases. The government insists these arrests are legally justified and unrelated to communal identity.
The council also criticized the imprisonment of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a peaceful advocate for Hindu rights, calling for the immediate withdrawal of politically motivated cases and the provision of legal protections against wrongful prosecution.
Constitutional Reforms and Secularism Debate: A Threat to Minority Rights
The HBCUC strongly opposes proposed constitutional reforms that would remove secularism as a guiding principle. Bangladesh was founded on nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism following its 1971 Liberation War. The council warned that eliminating secularism would embolden extremist forces and deepen communal divisions.
The council also criticized the lack of minority representation in the Constitutional Reform Committee, accusing the government of deliberately silencing minority voices. Removing secularism isn’t just a policy shift—it’s an attack on minority identities in Bangladesh,” the HBCUC stated.
Article 2(A) of the Constitution declares Islam as the state religion while ensuring equal rights for other faiths. The HBCUC argues that this provision institutionalizes discrimination, reducing minorities to second-class citizens. They have called for its complete abolition to ensure equal treatment under the law.
Proposals for Minority Representation and Protection
In response to these challenges, the HBCUC has put forward several proposals to ensure better minority representation in government and protect their rights:
- Reserved Parliamentary Seats: The council has proposed reserving 60 parliamentary seats for minority representatives through direct elections, arguing that this would provide a stronger political voice and better protection for their rights.
- Representation in Key Institutions: The HBCUC recommends reserving at least 20% of key government positions—including in Parliament, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Election Commission—for religious and ethnic minorities.
- Recognition of Minority Religious Holidays: The HBCUC has called for additional public holidays to honor the religious practices of minorities, including:
- Three days for Hindus during Durga Puja (Ashtami to Dashami).
- One day for Buddhists on Prabarana Purnima.
- One day for Christians on Easter Sunday.
Demands for Reform and Justice
The HBCUC has issued eight key demands to the interim government:
- End institutional discrimination.
- Ensure equitable minority representation in government.
- Halt politically motivated cases against minority leaders.
- Prosecute perpetrators of communal violence.
- Prevent illegal seizures of minority properties.
- Provide justice for victims of sexual violence in minority communities.
- Implement anti-discrimination laws.
- Retain secularism as a constitutional principle.
A Defining Moment for Bangladesh
The HBCUC concluded by stressing that Bangladesh faces a critical moment in its history.
“This is about more than minority rights,” the council stated. “It’s about Bangladesh’s very soul—whether we uphold justice, dignity, and equality, or descend into oppression and exclusion.”
The press conference was attended by HBCUC presidents Neem Chandra Bhowmik, Ushaton Talukder, and Nirmal Rozario, along with central leaders Dipankar Ghosh, Sunanda Priyo Bhikkhu, and others.
⇒Click here to read the original statement of HBCUC in Bangla
