Call for Action: Global Campaign Urges UN to Intervene to Stop Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Melbourne: A broad coalition of organisations across North America, Europe, and Asia has launched an international campaign calling for urgent action to address what it describes as escalating and systematic persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. The alliance is urging the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner and world governments to intervene, framing the crisis as a “drip-drip genocide” unfolding since the formation of the Yunus-led interim government.

Since mid-2024 and throughout 2025, Hindu communities in Bangladesh have reportedly faced a surge in targeted violence, including false blasphemy accusations, mob attacks, arson, sexual violence, and desecration of temples and sacred images. The lynching of garment worker Dipu Chandra Das on December 18, 2025, following an alleged blasphemy claim, became a flashpoint after videos of the killing circulated online, triggering global outrage.

Human rights groups document a consistent pattern of attacks between June and December 2025, often fuelled by online incitement that mobilised mobs into Hindu neighbourhoods, shops, and places of worship. Victims of anti-Hindu violence in 2025 include Dipu Chandra Das, Khokan Chandra Das, Rana Pratap Bairagi, Mohi Chakraborty, Bajendra Biswas, Prantosh Karmakar, and Amrito Mondal, whose names are now being memorialised by temples and advocacy networks.

Beyond killings, survivors have reported rape during home invasions, forced religious conversions under threat, and systematic destruction of property. Community leaders allege delayed or ineffective police responses, with prosecutions remaining rare. Civil society documentation claims that from August 2024 through November 2025, at least 2,673 attacks on minorities, including Hindus and indigenous communities, were recorded.

Advocates argue that the crisis reflects a long-term demographic decline. Hindus comprised about 25 percent of the population in 1947, 13.5 percent at Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, and now account for roughly 7 percent or less. Community estimates suggest nearly 230,000 Hindus leave Bangladesh annually due to discrimination, land dispossession, and insecurity.

Three-Part Global Response

The coalition has outlined a coordinated strategy:

1. International Advocacy
A joint petition calls on the United States to send a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh, mandate regular human rights reporting from its embassy in Dhaka, ensure inclusive elections, and suspend Bangladesh’s participation in UN peacekeeping missions until credible protections are enforced. It also seeks targeted trade measures, refugee consideration for persecuted Hindus, recognition of rising Islamist extremism as a security threat, and appointment of a Hindu commissioner to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Similar appeals have been directed to the European Union, United Nations, India, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, demanding independent investigations, conditional trade preferences, humanitarian entry for refugees, real-time tracking of violations, and unequivocal condemnation of violence.

2. Remembrance and Solidarity
Hindu temples across the United States will hold Shraddhanjali and Prarthna services on January 24 and 27, featuring prayers, moments of silence, and reading of victims’ names.

3. Public Mobilisation
On January 31, 2026, nationwide rallies are planned in at least 25 US cities, alongside candlelight vigils and fasting. Supporters unable to attend are encouraged to observe the day through prayer at home.

Organisers emphasise the movement is non-violent and rooted in human rights advocacy. They pledge to continue documenting abuses and supporting survivors until Bangladeshi Hindus can live with safety, dignity, and equality.

About HinduPACT

The Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective (HinduPACT) is a US-based organisation advocating on issues affecting the American Hindu community. It promotes human rights through HAHRI, supports Pakistani Hindu girls through CHINGARI, educates voters via HinduVote, and counters defamation through AHAD. More information is available at https://hindupact.org.

Source: indiatribune.com