Last Updated:December 26, 2025, 16:43 IST

India urged Bangladeshi authorities to take decisive action to ensure the safety, security and rights of minority communities and to hold perpetrators accountable under the law.

India on Friday expressed grave concern over the ongoing violence against minorities in Bangladesh, saying that such “unremitting hostilities” carried out by extremist elements against minority communities, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists, are condemnable and cannot be ignored by calling them political violence or media exaggeration.

While addressing a press conference, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also condemned the killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man who was lynched over unfounded blasphemy allegations and set on fire. Jaiswal said that India hoped that the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to justice.

“The unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh is a matter of great concern. We condemn the recent killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh and expect that the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice,” he said as quoted by news agency ANI.

He further said that India has consistently raised concerns over attacks on minorities and rejected what it termed a “false narrative” being projected by Bangladesh on such incidents.

According to the MEA, around 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities have been reported during the tenure of Bangladesh’s interim government. “We have issued statements earlier as well, rejecting the false narrative put out by Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said.

While responding to media queries on the return of BNP leader Tarique Rahman to Bangladesh after 17 years ahead of the polls, Jaiswal said that New Delhi supports free and fair elections in Bangladesh, and this development should be seen in that context.

Reiterating India’s long-standing position on the protection of minority rights, the MEA spokesperson said that New Delhi is closely monitoring the situation and expects the Bangladeshi government to uphold its constitutional obligations to protect all citizens, irrespective of faith.

Bangladesh Unrest

The MEA’s remarks came after violent protests erupted in the neighbouring country following the death of July uprising organiser Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore. Hadi, the convener of Inquilab Mancha, died while undergoing treatment after he was shot in the head in Dhaka on December 12.

Media houses, cultural centres and political offices were attacked. A Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched and burnt to death in Mymensingh over alleged blasphemy. After thrashing and killing Das, the mob hung his body from a tree and set it on fire. Meanwhile, the mob that encircled him in Bhaluka, many of whom he knew, took out their smartphones to record the spectacle.

Another Hindu man, Amrit Mandal, was lynched by a mob over allegations of extortion.

Meanwhile, some youth leaders were also reported to have made provocative anti-India statements. In recent weeks, Bangladeshi security forces have had to stop protesters from marching towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. Last week, a mob also pelted the Indian Assistant High Commission building in Chittagong with stones.

Bangladesh, currently governed by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, is grappling with a volatile mix of high-stakes electoral preparation and a breakdown in law and order that has left minority communities in a state of high alarm.

(With inputs from agencies)

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