3 months ago
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‘Pranto Das Gupta, a 22-year-old from Bangladesh’s number Hindu community, is preparing to formed his archetypal ballot successful the upcoming nationalist elections. Living successful Dhaka, astir 300 km from his ancestral colony successful Satkania, Chattogram, Mr. Gupta plans to question location to ballot with his household connected February 12, arsenic the state heads into its archetypal predetermination since the melodramatic autumn of Sheikh Hasina successful an uprising successful August 2024.
For the first-time voter, the lofty promises successful enactment manifestos from trillion-dollar economies to law betterment ringing hollow against the lived world of arson, vandalism and intimidation.
“We don’t privation clashes. We don’t privation promises. All we inquire for is safety,” Mr. Gupta said. “People successful my colony volition spell to the polling centres and ballot for whoever they deliberation tin guarantee their safety.”
This plea for basal information has emerged arsenic the overwhelming, non-partisan request of spiritual minorities, who marque up astir 10% of the population, arsenic campaign rallies intensify and polling time draws closer.
According to a caller study by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), astatine slightest 56 targeted attacks connected number communities were recorded successful the 17 months starring up to the election. These incidents included the desecration of temples, vandalism of homes, and carnal assaults, leaving 1 idiosyncratic dormant and 27 injured. Transparency International Bangladesh reported much than 50 specified attacks successful 2025, portion Ain-e-Salish Kendra documented 42 incidents.
The Chief Adviser’s Office, however, has offered a antithetic assessment. It said that of the 645 incidents involving number assemblage members recorded successful 2025, lone 71 were communal successful nature, portion the remaining cases were linked to wide transgression activity.
Despite the authoritative reassurances, fearfulness remains pervasive. “Only a fewer radical from our assemblage are progressive successful politics,” said Raghupati Sen, a trustee of a section ashram successful Old Dhaka’s Tikatuli area. “Politicians travel asking for votes, but who comes to support our homes and temples erstwhile attacks happen?”
“For us,” helium added, “the predetermination is not astir who wins. It is astir whether we volition suffer immoderate information we inactive have.”
This predetermination rhythm has been particularly tense. While clashes betwixt the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami predominate headlines, minorities picture a quieter but persistent anxiety. Major governmental blocs person made rhetorical overtures; the BNP’s manifesto promises number protection, portion the Jamaat-e-Islami confederation speaks of gathering a “humane Bangladesh.” Yet critics said that these parties, present locked successful fierce rivalry, person besides histories wherever communal rhetoric has been weaponised, and their ground-level activists were often implicated successful localised intimidation.
Following the August 2024 uprising, organised mobs targeted Hindu neighbourhoods successful respective parts of the country. The assemblage has agelong been perceived arsenic supportive of the Awami League, which projected itself arsenic secular but faced disapproval for failing to forestall attacks connected minorities during its tenure. The Awami League has been barred from contesting this election, yet number voters accidental their information remains important. This analogous spoke to much than a twelve voters from number communities, each of whom said they intended to vote.
“Minorities person ever been victims of unit successful Bangladesh,” said Abhi Chowdhury Partho, a assemblage teacher successful Dhaka. “Even during Sheikh Hasina’s rule, we saw attacks during festivals. Fear did not vanish then, and it has not disappeared now.”
He said this persistent insecurity is shaping voting behaviour. In galore minority-dominated areas, determination is treatment of “strategic voting” choosing candidates perceived arsenic little apt to provoke unit alternatively than those offering ambitious promises.
The authorities program to deploy a immense information apparatus, with astir 9 lac personnel, including much than 1 lac members of the equipped forces, guarding polling centres betwixt February 8 and 14. But Mr. Partho questioned whether extortion would widen beyond polling day. “Who volition basal defender connected February 14, oregon the week after, if idiosyncratic wants to retaliate for however we voted?” helium asked.
A caller study by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) said communal unit remains ongoing. Based connected information collected up to January 27, 2026, the assembly recorded 42 incidents, including murder, intersexual violence, attacks connected temples and churches, looting of homes and businesses, and onshore grabbing.
Monindra Kumar Nath, Acting General Secretary of BHBCUC, said fearfulness continues to predominate number communities’ psyche arsenic the 13th parliamentary predetermination approaches. “Across the country, spiritual and taste minorities, particularly women and young people, are surviving successful changeless anxiety,” helium said.
Last week, the assembly placed 8 demands earlier the authorities, urging the Election Commission (EC) to guarantee a level playing tract and a unafraid situation truthful number voters and candidates tin enactment without obstruction.
However, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud connected February 6 called connected members of number communities to spell to polling centres without fear. He said the EC had made afloat information arrangements for them, and each preparations are successful spot to clasp a escaped and just election.
In total, 79 candidates from spiritual and taste number communities are contesting the election, 67 enactment nominees and 12 independents. The Communist Party of Bangladesh has fielded the highest fig (17), followed by the BNP with six, portion Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated a number campaigner for the archetypal time. Ten of the candidates are women.
The fig of number candidates remains unchanged from 2018 and is somewhat little than the 81 recorded successful 2024. Hindus marque up astir 8% of Bangladesh’s population, with Christians, Buddhists, and different minorities accounting for smaller shares.
