Dhaka saw 2K minority violence cases in 330 days: Rights group

Bangladesh witnessed 2,442 incidents of communal violence over a span of 330 days from August 4 last year, when political unrest peaked, leading to the ouster of PM Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, a minority advocacy group in the country said on Thursday.

“Most of these violent incidents happened between August 4 and August 20 last year,” the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said in a statement released at a press conference at the National Press Club here.

The minority communities faced 2,442 incidents of communal violence over a span of 330 days from August 4, 2024, it said. The nature of violence ranged from murders and sexual assaults, including gang rapes, to attacks on places of worship, seizing homes and businesses and arrests on charges of alleged defamation of religion.

The perpetrators have largely evaded justice, with the interim government “refusing to acknowledge” the incidents and “dismissing them as politically motivated,” the statement said. As per the 2022 census, Hindus are the largest minority community at 7.95%.