Hill Voice, 11 July 2025, Dhaka: The Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Oikya Parishad and the Sankhalaghu Oikya Morcha (Minority Unity Alliance) under its leadership have expressed deep resentment over the ongoing constitutional and reform initiatives aimed at eliminating all forms of discrimination while excluding religious and ethnic minorities.
The grievance was expressed at a press conference held on Thursday (10 July) at the Abdus Salam Hall of the National Press Club in Dhaka. The written statement was read out by the Oikya Parishad’s Acting General Secretary, Monindra Kumar Nath.
The press conference was presided over by one of the organization’s presidents, Nirmol Rosario. Among those present were Vice President Professor Dr. Nim Chandra Bhowmik, Presidium Members Kajol Debnath and J. L. Bhowmik, Presidium Member Ranjan Karmakar, Executive Secretary General of the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance (a member organization of the Minority Unity Alliance) Palash Kanti Dey, and President of the Rishi Panchayet Forum, Ramananda Das. The event was moderated by the Council’s Organizational Secretary, Advocate Dipankar Ghosh.
At the press conference, it was stated that the religious and ethnic minority communities had hoped that a separate Minority Commission would be formed to identify the ongoing discrimination and persecution against them and to recommend appropriate measures for their elimination. However, it was immediately observed that no such separate commission was established for religious and ethnic minorities.
Furthermore, the commissions that have since been formed do not include any representatives from the religious or ethnic minority communities. Even the Constitutional Reform Commission lacks any minority representation.
Regrettably, the commissions have not felt the need to hold discussions with any delegation representing the minority communities regarding the discrimination they continue to face. It is noteworthy that, despite several written proposals being submitted to the commissions on behalf of the minority communities, there has been no attempt to engage in dialogue over these matters.
The ongoing state reform process has reached its final stage without any consideration for the representation or participation of more than 10% of Bangladesh’s religious and ethnic minority population. Political parties have already submitted their opinions, which are currently in the process of being finalized.
We, on behalf of the religious and ethnic minority communities, strongly express our deep resentment and protest against this exclusionary process.
Highlighting the ongoing communal violence, the press conference further stated that following the political shift that occurred through the anti-discrimination student and mass movement on August 5, 2024, widespread violence was carried out across the country against religious and ethnic minority communities — violence that still continues to this day.
In this context, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Oikya Parishad, in a press conference held at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Thursday, September 19, 2024, presented a partial list and a report documenting 2,010 incidents of communal violence that took place nationwide between August 4 and August 20, 2024.
In that press conference, the Oikya Parishad strongly demanded an immediate end to communal violence, the arrest and exemplary punishment of those involved through legal proceedings, proper compensation and rehabilitation for the victims, and adequate medical care for the injured.
The press conference further stated that since August 4, 2024, religious and ethnic minorities have been deliberately targeted. Their houses, places of worship, and businesses have been subjected to attacks, vandalism, looting, arson, rape, murder, and extortion under threats of silence. Both men and women, as well as adolescents from minority communities, have been victims of these atrocities.
Such communal violence against minority communities is not only a criminal offense but also a crime against humanity — and it remains ongoing. There has been little to no visible effort to break free from the prevailing culture of impunity, to identify the perpetrators, bring them under the law, and ensure proper judicial proceedings.
This situation is, on the one hand, encouraging the perpetrators to commit such heinous acts, and on the other, severely obstructing the victims’ access to justice, protection of human rights, and the establishment of the rule of law.
The press conference presented an overview of communal violence that occurred between January 1 and June 30 of this year. During this period, a total of 258 incidents were recorded, including: 27 cases of murder; 20 incidents of violence against women, including rape and gang rape; 59 attacks, vandalism, looting, and arson on places of worship; 21 arrests and incidents of torture on allegations of so-called religious defamation; 87 attacks, vandalism, looting, and arson on houses and businesses; 12 cases of forced occupation of houses, land, and business establishments; 4 instances of physical assault and forced resignation; 12 attacks and acts of repression against indigenous people; and 16 cases involving obstruction of religious rituals, abduction, and other miscellaneous incidents. It was stated that this is only a partial representation of the total scale of violence.
The press conference highlighted several incidents that occurred during the first week of July. These included In Dhor Moshihati village of Abhaynagar Upazila in Jashore, the houses and belongings of 20 minority families were looted and then set on fire, In Muradnagar, Comilla, a minority woman was raped and a video of the assault was circulated on social media, in Khilkhet, Dhaka, without any prior notice, government bulldozers demolished a temple along with idols of various deities, in Lalmonirhat, salon owner Paresh Chandra Shil and his son Bishnu Chandra Shil were falsely accused of blasphemy, brutally beaten by a mob, and handed over to the police, at the University of Chittagong, Dr. Kushal Baran Chakraborty, a faculty member of the Department of Cultural Studies, was harassed in the office of the Vice Chancellor in front of the VC and other faculty members by a mob, which ultimately blocked his promotion, Chinmoy Krishna Brahmachari, spokesperson of the combined Sonatoni Jagoron Jote, had his bail revoked and was re-imprisoned under a politically motivated case- a glaring example of ongoing communal discrimination.
Among others present at the press conference were Joint General Secretary Rabindra Nath Bose, Organizational Secretary Padmabati Debi, Student Affairs Secretary Pranatosh Acharya Shibu, President of the Jubo Oikya Parishad Shimul Saha, Advisor to the Minority Rights Movement Mithun Bhattacharya Shuvo, Acting President of the Chhatra Oikya Parishad Sajib Sarkar, and Acting General Secretary Dipankar Chandra Shil.
