Hindu students in Bangladesh are set to stage a large protest in Dhaka on Friday after accusing authorities of failing to respond to the alleged desecration of a statue of Lord Ram and threats that halted the construction of an 81-foot Ram statue in northern Bangladesh.

The planned demonstration at Shahbagh intersection comes after student groups issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the government following a torchlight procession held at Dhaka University earlier this week. Several Hindu organisations are also scheduled to hold separate protests and a press conference to raise concerns over issues affecting minority communities.

Students Announce Protest After Ultimatum Expires

According to student leaders, the latest agitation was triggered after a violent mob allegedly placed a shoe on a statue of Lord Ram, an act they described as an insult to Hindu religious beliefs.

In response, Hindu students organised a torchlight procession at Dhaka University on Tuesday and demanded action from the authorities within 72 hours. With no response forthcoming, organisers announced a larger protest for Friday afternoon at Shahbagh in central Dhaka.

“Our worshipped God, Lord Ram, has been insulted. It is a matter of deep pain”, Novelty Roy Uday, convener of the Bangladesh Student Unity Council’s Dhaka Metropolitan South unit, which is part of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, told ANI.

Expressing concern over the condition of the Hindu community in the country, he said, “Whatever happens in Bangladesh, if it continues over the next 10 years, I’m afraid the Hindu community will vanish.”

Statue Construction Dispute in Gaibandha

Tensions have also intensified following the suspension of the construction of an 81-foot Lord Ram statue in Palashbari in Gaibandha district after alleged threats from radical Islamist groups.

Sushmita Kar, spokesperson and student representative of the Minority Rights Movement, alleged that a violent mob had delivered hate speeches during the construction process.

“During the construction of a statue of Ram in Palashbari, in Gaibandha district in northern Bangladesh, a violent mob delivered hate speech,” she told ANI.

“Unfortunately, they carried out this act of insult against our religion,” she added.

Kar said the government had not responded to the ultimatum issued by protesters.

“We gave a 72-hour ultimatum on this matter, but we have not yet received any response from the government. We will hold a larger protest on Friday afternoon,” she said.

Protests Spread Across Universities and Minority Groups

The movement, which began at Jagannath University, has since spread to other educational institutions across the country.

“We started our protest at Jagannath University first. Then, it became a mass revolution,” Arghya Shreshtho Das, president of the Bangladesh Student Unity Council at Jagannath University and a member organisation of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, told ANI.

He said the protests were about more than religious sentiments.

According to Das, the agitation concerns “our independence, our dignity, and our religious sympathies.”

Ahead of the Shahbagh protest, Hindu Mohajote is scheduled to organise a human chain in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Friday morning to protest against the Gaibandha incident.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council is also planning a demonstration on Saturday over the same issue, indicating that the agitation could continue in the coming days.

Minority Groups Raise Wider Concerns

Separately, the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance is set to hold a press conference on Friday at the Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in Segunbagicha.

The Hindu right group said the briefing would highlight the demands of minority communities and protest against what it described as widespread persecution, killings, rape, arrests under false cases, dismissals from employment under false pretexts, vandalism of temples and idols, obstacles to constructing temples and idols, and defamation targeting religious minorities.

The organisation said it would seek a permanent solution to issues affecting minority communities in Bangladesh.

Friday’s events are expected to form part of a broader wave of protests by Hindu groups and student organisations demanding action over the recent incidents and greater protection for religious minorities in the country.

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