The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has issued a strong condemnation of recent communal violence targeting minority communities across the country, as incidents of attacks, murders, and property destruction continue to mount.
In a statement released on Sunday, April 20, the council - Bangladesh’s largest minority representative group - highlighted several recent violent incidents, including the murder of Bhavesh Chandra Roy in Dinajpur, the forced resignation of school headmaster Kantilal Acharya in Chattogram, and the rape of a Marma girl in Rangamati.
“These events are increasing fear and worry among minority communities during this period of unrest and communal tension,” stated council leaders Ushatan Talukder, Nim Chandra Bhowmik, Nirmal Rozario, and Acting General Secretary Monindra Kumar Nath. The group demanded “immediate arrest of the criminals and strict punishment under the law.”
Police confirmed that a postmortem examination has been completed on Bhavesh Chandra Roy, who was allegedly abducted from his home in Dinajpur district’s Biral upazila and beaten to death earlier last week. According to his wife, Shantana Roy, perpetrators called their home around 4:30 PM Wednesday to confirm his presence before four men arrived on motorcycles and forcibly removed him.
Eyewitnesses reported that Roy was taken to Narabari village where he was brutally assaulted. His unconscious body was later returned to the family in a van that evening.
The council noted that approximately 50 violent incidents targeting minorities occurred in March alone. “These include murder, rape, attacks on temples, arrests on charges of religious defamation, attacks on indigenous people, and looting of homes and businesses,” their statement detailed.
This recent surge follows what appears to be a dramatic escalation of violence against minority communities since last year’s political upheaval. According to a press release published on the council’s website, between January and February 2025, 92 incidents of violence targeted minorities and indigenous peoples, including 11 murders, 3 rapes, 25 attacks on temples, and 38 incidents involving vandalism and looting of houses and businesses.
The council previously reported that from August 4 to December 31, 2024, there were 2,184 attacks targeting minorities, including 32 murders, 133 attacks on places of worship, 13 cases of torture and rape of women, and 1,906 attacks involving vandalism, looting, and arson of houses and businesses.
The deteriorating situation coincides with Bangladesh’s leadership change last August, when mass protests led by student groups, civil society activists, and Islamist organizations forced then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.
The council has also documented other specific cases from March. In one instance, a delegation led by Acting General Secretary Manindra Kumar Nath investigated the murder and robbery of gold trader Dilip Das in Ashulia on March 9, as well as an alleged illegal land occupation in the same area where Santosh Thakur’s property was reportedly seized by Jahangir Alam.
The minority council continues to document and track these incidents. According to their records, violence against minority communities has persisted from August 2024 through the first quarter of 2025, with over 2,000 total incidents reported during this period.
