Veena Sikri, the former Indian envoy to Bangladesh, has emphasized the growing international response to the recent attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. This declaration is made in response to growing violence against Hindu and other minority groups, which has drawn more attention from international organizations, especially the US, UK, and India.
There have been 88 documented incidents of sectarian violence against minorities, mostly Hindus, since August 2024, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh due to political unrest. Seventy people have been arrested by the interim government in relation to these incidents. Human rights organizations and other governments have expressed concern over the violence, which has included attacks on places of worship, looting, and burning.
Sikri’s comments demonstrate how international organizations are becoming increasingly concerned about minorities’ safety in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi authorities have been frequently encouraged by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to make sure that these communities are protected. Furthermore, US State Department officials have urged Bangladesh to uphold human rights and basic freedoms.
A minority rights organization called the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad has called on the government to act quickly to apprehend the perpetrators and compensate the victims. Indian individuals and civil society organizations have taken to the streets to protest the alleged horrors that Hindus in Bangladesh have to endure. Participants in these demonstrations, which took place on December 10 in conjunction with World Human Rights Day, demanded international engagement and emphasized the necessity of accountability from Bangladeshi authorities.
Muhammad Yunus, the leader of Bangladesh’s interim government, has publicly reaffirmed his commitment to upholding the rights of all citizens, irrespective of their religious beliefs, in response to these worries. He has urged truthful reporting on occurrences that impact minorities and stressed the importance of working together to resolve these problems. Critics counter that despite these guarantees, there is still a big disconnect between words and deeds.
As tensions between communities rise, the situation for minorities in Bangladesh remains unstable. The growing response from the international community indicates that safeguarding measures for Bangladesh’s vulnerable populations are urgently needed. As Sikri pointed out, persistent diplomatic pressure might be required to guarantee that the rights of minorities are protected and maintained domestically.
