NEW DELHI: Violence against the minorities in Bangladesh is not a new phenomenon. It has been going on for several decades and has seen major outbreaks since 1989 onwards. The year 2025 witnessed a surge in the number of attacks on minority communities and officials in India say that since then, the targeting has been a relentless one.
Between June 6, 2025 and January 5, 2026, 116 members of minority communities have been killed, according to a report by the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM).
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the targeting of the minorities in Bangladesh has been taking place for long.
However the one that is on currently, feels different. Those who have undertaken this campaign have been relentless in their efforts. It is planned in such a way that there are no signs of it stopping irrespective of whichever government comes to power, the official said.
Officials say that this is the pattern that they are looking at. This looks thoroughly planned with clear instructions ‘do not stop until the job is completely done.’
The killing of minorities, particularly the Hindus is not only aimed at making Bangladesh fully rid of minorities. It is also a message to India with the clear aim of provoking the country. This has been the plan since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. Under Muhammad Yunus the ISI-Jamaat have been able to execute this plan with ease as they have no pressure from Yunus to stop this pogrom, another official added.
This is one of the main reasons why the Indian agencies feel that more such incidents would be reported in the run up to the elections.
The HRCMB report also adds that these killings are not random acts, but structural violence which stem from systematic discrimination and long term demographic changes.
It says that the minority population fell from 30 to 9 percent between 1946 and 2020.
Officials say that the Yunus administration has been trying to pass off such incidents as one-off occurrences. Official statements have been made on such incidents whereby it is said that some of the killings are due to personal reasons.
However, in almost all such cases, it has been found that the acts were deliberate and with the intention to target minorities. (IANS)
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