Rights body raises alarm over growing threats to minorities in Bangladesh

Dhaka, June 30 (IANS) A leading minority rights organisation has expressed grave concern over mounting pressure on Hindu minorities, temple builders and minority rights defenders in Bangladesh, saying recent developments from Gaibandha to Chattogram indicate that religious freedom in the country is coming under increasing threat.

According to the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), in northern Bangladesh, a Hindu temple complex has become the latest fault line in a deepening national struggle over religious freedom, minority security, and the limits of majoritarian pressure.

“At the centre of the dispute is the Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Kali Temple complex in Palashbari, Gaibandha, where temple authorities began constructing a large idol of Lord Ram. What should have remained a matter of lawful religious expression inside a minority community’s temple premises rapidly escalated into public agitation, social media fury, demands for removal, and threats that have left local Hindus fearful for their lives, worship, and future in the country,” the HRCBM stated.

The remarks came after Bangladeshi authorities recently ordered the suspension of the construction of the Lord Ram statue at the Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Kali Temple in Palashbari upazila of Gaibandha district, according to local media reports.

Citing its field interview with temple founder Haridas Chandra Tarani Das, the rights body said that the Ram idol was being constructed on land owned by the temple, not on government land, and the work was supported by Hindu devotees and community contributions.

“But the dangerous turn in Gaibandha is that the debate did not remain a legal or administrative matter. It became a communal issue. A Hindu idol was portrayed by some as a threat to sovereignty, national security, or social order. That framing transforms a minority act of worship into a public danger. It invites collective suspicion against Hindus, not because they have committed violence, but because they dare to build, gather, worship, and exist visibly,” it stated.

The HRCBM alleged that Bangladeshi authorities have not been able to fully contain “fundamentalist mobilisation” against the temple project. Despite visible police presence and administrative engagement, it said, hardline groups and vested interests have continued to exert pressure on the minority community.

The rights body called for effective security of the temple complex; protection of temple founder Haridas Chandra Tarani Das and devotees; investigations into threats and incitement; prevention of further communal escalation; and an end to pressure tactics designed to divide and weaken the minority community.

“The Gaibandha case is now a test of whether the authorities will protect constitutional rights in practice—or merely manage unrest by asking the threatened minority to retreat,” it noted.

The HRCBM further said that the Gaibandha controversy exposes a deeper and more dangerous double standard in Bangladesh’s public life. It alleged that while blasphemy accusations against minorities can lead to arrest, mob violence, displacement, and even death, public insults against Hindu deities and religious sentiments are often treated as “politically manageable” disorder rather than serious violations requiring accountability.

Recently, Bangladesh witnessed escalating protests over the alleged desecration of an image of Lord Ram by radical Islamists during a demonstration opposing the construction of the tallest statue of the deity in the Gaibandha district.

–IANS

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