India is increasingly concerned over the deteriorating human rights situation in Bangladesh, particularly the recent alarming rise in targeted violence against the Hindu minority community under the Mohammad Yunus-led interim regime. A wave of brutal attacks, marked by impunity and state inaction, has led to growing fears in New Delhi about regional instability and the safety of Hindus across the border.
The most recent and disturbing incident occurred on July 27 in Aldadpur village, Rangpur district, where a mob of over 500 people attacked a Hindu household following allegations of a blasphemous Facebook post by a 17-year-old boy.
“The violence spiraled overnight into a full-scale assault on surrounding Hindu homes. Despite the scale and severity of the violence, no arrests were made and local authorities have remained largely silent,” said an officer of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Displacement of Hindu families as police justify vigilantism
According to sources in the intelligence establishments working in Bangladesh, the attackers reportedly returned the following day to continue the destruction, forcing at least 25 Hindu families from Aldadpur and nearby villages to flee their homes in fear.
The police justified the violence by claiming the blasphemy allegations were “proven,” a pattern Indian intelligence sources say is increasingly being used to validate religious vigilantism.
This incident follows another from just a month ago, where a 69-year-old Hindu barber, Paresh Chandra Sil, and his son were arrested after a dispute with a Muslim customer who refused to pay a service fee.
The disagreement escalated into false blasphemy charges, leading to their imprisonment and a subsequent attack on their establishment.
Visual evidence, government’s silence, rise of Islamist groups
Video evidence from Aldadpur shows scenes of devastation—demolished homes, torched belongings and grieving Hindu women. Yet, neither Yunus nor senior officials like Home Ministry Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury have issued any public condemnation.
Indian observers view this silence as indicative of a wider state complicity or, at minimum, gross negligence.
Indian officials are especially troubled by the growing influence of fundamentalist Islamist groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatra Shibir, Hefazat-e-Islam and Hizbut Tehrir, which have reportedly gained a free hand under the current interim administration.
These outfits, once on the fringes, now appear to be driving the communal agenda, with sections of the police and army allegedly infiltrated or sympathetic to their cause.
BNP’s silence and opportunism draw criticism
In New Delhi, strategic analysts see the Yunus government’s tacit alliance with these hardline groups as an existential threat to the secular fabric of Bangladesh and a direct danger to India’s eastern border security.
“The lack of political will from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)—the main opposition party—has further raised concerns, with BNP leaders refusing to condemn the atrocities or stop party cadres from exploiting the lawlessness for extortion and violence,” said the MEA official.
Echoes of 1992: Pogrom parallels raise red flags
Indian officials also point to historical parallels, recalling the 1992 anti-Hindu pogroms that forced thousands to flee to West Bengal and Kolkata. Now, decades later, the same cycle of pogrom-like violence and displacement appears to be repeating itself, but with even fewer checks and balances.
While the exiled Awami League leadership has issued occasional statements on social media, India believes stronger regional and international pressure is required to halt the descent into what one official described as “mainstream communalism.”
The current silence from the international community, particularly in light of visual evidence and eyewitness testimonies, is drawing criticism from Indian policymakers.
A looming refugee crisis
Sources in India’s MEA say they are monitoring the situation “very closely,” but there has been no formal diplomatic escalation so far.
Experts warn that without robust international condemnation and regional pressure, the situation could worsen, potentially triggering a new refugee crisis and spreading instability across the eastern corridor.
“Bangladesh is being torn apart from within, and its minority population is the first casualty,” said a senior Indian security analyst, adding, “The interim regime’s complicity is not just enabling terror—it is legitimising it. India cannot afford to turn a blind eye to this slow-motion genocide.”
As Bangladesh spirals deeper into chaos, India faces a mounting dilemma: how to uphold its regional commitments and cultural ties with the Bengali Hindu community while navigating the geopolitical sensitivities of its eastern neighbour’s internal crisis.