Bangladesh reports surge in violence against religious and ethnic minorities

Two recent reports highlight a sharp increase in attacks on Bangladesh’s religious, ethnic and indigenous minorities. The Hindu‑Buddhist Christian Unity Council presented a detailed study at Dhaka’s National Press Club, documenting 257 incidents of communal violence from January to June, including 44 deaths, numerous kidnappings, assaults on places of worship and property seizures. Council president Nirmol Rozario warned that “if Bangladesh were completely secular and a liberal democratic country, we would not need this Minority Protection Act,” urging legal safeguards for minorities.

The Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) released a separate report covering the first half of 2026, recording 824 alleged violations across 63 of the country’s 64 districts. The incidents span murders, kidnappings, sexual violence, arson, land grabbing and attacks on temples, affecting minority women, the Chakma and Tripura communities, and other indigenous groups. The HRCBM called for an independent national inquiry and a centralized mechanism to monitor crimes against minorities, stressing that the pattern of violence cannot be treated as isolated criminal acts.