By News18 Sayantan Ghosh
The arrest of Fazor Ali, a local leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), for the alleged rape of a 21-year-old Hindu woman in Cumilla’s Muradnagar upazila on June 26, 2025, has ignited widespread outrage and protests across Bangladesh. This horrific incident, where Ali allegedly broke into the victim’s home at knifepoint, underscores a broader crisis facing the nation’s Hindu minority.
The assault, compounded by the circulation of a graphic video online, has not only violated the survivor’s dignity but also exposed the persistent vulnerability of Hindus in Bangladesh. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus has faced mounting criticism for its inability to curb escalating violence against religious minorities, particularly Hindus. Reports indicate a surge in attacks, including sexual violence, land grabbing, and temple desecrations, raising alarms about the growing influence of Islamist groups.
The Cumilla case, where the survivor now faces threats to withdraw her complaint, highlights a systemic failure to protect minorities and deliver justice. Critics argue that Yunus’s policies, including the release of individuals with extremist ties and leniency toward fundamentalist groups, have emboldened perpetrators, creating an environment where Hindus live in constant fear.
Inadequate Protection for Bangladesh’s Hindu Minority
The Hindu community, comprising roughly 8% of Bangladesh’s population, has long faced targeted violence, but the situation has worsened under the Yunus interim government. Since August 2024, reports have documented a spike in attacks, including 13 gang-rapes of Hindu women in Cumilla alone since April 2025. The case of the 21-year-old survivor in Muradnagar exemplifies this vulnerability.
Staying at her father’s home during a local festival, she was attacked while alone with her children, highlighting how Hindus, particularly women, are targeted in moments of vulnerability. The government’s responsibility to protect minorities, as emphasised by international observers, has been inadequately fulfilled. The lack of proactive measures, such as increased security in minority-dominated areas or community outreach programmes, has left Hindus exposed to predatory violence.
Temples and homes have been looted and destroyed, with incidents such as the burning of an ISKCON temple in Khulna in August 2024, signalling a broader pattern of unchecked aggression. The Yunus administration’s failure to implement robust protective policies has allowed such atrocities to persist, undermining trust in the state’s commitment to safeguarding its pluralistic identity. Without targeted interventions, the Hindu minority remains at risk, caught in a cycle of fear and marginalisation.
Emboldening Islamist Extremists Through Policy Failures
The interim government’s policies have inadvertently emboldened Islamist groups, exacerbating threats to Hindus. Following the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, Yunus’s administration lifted bans on groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and released individuals with known extremist affiliations, including those facing terror charges. These decisions have signalled a softer stance toward fundamentalist elements, allowing them to operate with greater impunity.
The Cumilla rape case, involving a BNP leader with a reported history of harassing Hindu women, reflects how political clout and extremist ideologies intersect to perpetuate violence. Local accounts suggest Fazor Ali’s actions were enabled by his perceived untouchability due to political affiliations, a dynamic that thrives in an environment where Islamist rhetoric goes unchallenged.
The government’s reluctance to confront these groups head-on, coupled with Yunus’s dismissal of minority attacks as “political issues,” has further emboldened perpetrators. For instance, Islamist parties’ threats against the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission in May 2025, warning of mass agitation, underscore their growing influence. This permissive atmosphere not only endangers Hindus, but also undermines Bangladesh’s secular foundation, as extremist narratives gain traction without sufficient resistance from the state.
Failures in Law Enforcement and Judicial Processes
Law enforcement’s handling of the Cumilla case reveals systemic flaws that hinder justice for minority victims. The survivor faced a three-day delay in registering her complaint, and authorities failed to conduct a mandatory medical examination within 24 hours, violating procedural standards. Such lapses, described by rights groups as “gross violations”, reflect a broader pattern of police inaction in cases involving Hindus.
Across Bangladesh, reports indicate consistent refusals to accept complaints from minority communities, pointing to institutional bias or complicity. In the Cumilla incident, while Fazor Ali and four others were arrested, the initial escape of the accused after being beaten by locals suggests inadequate police response at the scene.
The circulation of a graphic video, recorded by bystanders and shared online, further compounded the survivor’s trauma, yet authorities were slow to act until public outrage forced their hand.
The High Court’s intervention, demanding the video’s removal and the survivor’s protection, highlights the judiciary’s attempt to compensate for executive failures. However, without systemic reforms to ensure prompt investigations, unbiased policing, and victim support, such incidents will continue to erode trust in the legal system, leaving Hindus without recourse.
Political Exploitation of Communal Tensions
The Cumilla rape case has also exposed how political rivalries exacerbate communal violence, with Hindus caught in the crossfire. The BNP’s senior leadership, while calling for “exemplary punitive action”, has simultaneously alleged that the case is a smear campaign orchestrated by the Awami League to tarnish their image. Such claims, dismissing the survivor’s ordeal as political propaganda, trivialise the crime and shift focus from justice to partisan battles. This politicisation not only undermines the victim’s agency but also deepens communal divides, as Hindus are portrayed as pawns in a larger power struggle.
The Yunus government’s failure to decisively address these narratives allows extremist elements within political parties to exploit tensions for electoral gain. Historically, both the BNP and Awami League have been criticised for their treatment of minorities, with the BNP’s past governance (2001-2006) marked by accusations of harboring insurgents and tolerating anti-Hindu violence.
The current interim government’s inaction in curbing such rhetoric enables a cycle where political actors deflect accountability, leaving Hindus vulnerable to further attacks. Addressing this requires a unified stance against communalism, which the Yunus administration has yet to demonstrate.
The author teaches journalism at St Xavier’s College (autonomous), Kolkata. His handle on X is @sayantan_gh. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.