Minority Hindu communities in Bangladesh and the UK voiced strong concerns over ongoing violence and discrimination through coordinated protests while urging the UK premier to slap sanctions and stop aid.
The demonstrations highlighted demands for swift justice, enhanced security, and international intervention to address what participants described as targeted attacks on religious minorities since the fall of the previous government in August 2024.
In Dhaka, members of the Global Bengali Hindu Platform Bangladesh held a human chain in front of the National Press Club in the afternoon. The gathering focused on the need for immediate accountability for incidents of violence, murder, and sexual assault against Hindus and other minorities.
Speakers, including leaders such as Hirendranath Biswas, Manindra Kumar Nath, Jayanta Deb, Pradip Kumar Acharya, Ashok Taru Saha, J.K. Pal, Bimala Prasad, Jitendra Chandra Barman, and Suman Kumar Ray, outlined a three-point charter of demands.
They called for:
1. Prompt, impartial, and transparent investigations into all cases of persecution against Hindus, including the establishment of a dedicated fast-track tribunal for minority-related crimes and a judicial inquiry committee to ensure exemplary punishment for perpetrators.
2. Strengthened security measures in minority-populated areas, along with proper compensation, rehabilitation, and legal aid for affected families.
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3. The formulation and implementation of a permanent, effective policy to safeguard religious minorities’ rights, the creation of a standing Minority Commission specifically for Sanatan (Hindu) communities, reinstatement of Hindus forcibly removed from jobs, and guarantees of constitutional fundamental rights alongside socioeconomic protections.
In a follow-up press release, the platform emphasized that restoring confidence among minorities requires concrete action on these fronts. The protest underscored longstanding patterns of discrimination, targeted violence, demographic shifts, and the human toll on families, drawing from firsthand testimonies of victims.
Simultaneously, in London, over 500 people braved cold weather to assemble at Parliament Square for a mass demonstration organized by the Bangladesh Hindu Association (BHA), with support from INSIGHT UK and the Bengali Hindu Adarsh Sangha (BHAS).
The event attracted a diverse crowd, including students, professionals, families with children, elderly activists, and interfaith leaders from the British Hindu and Bangladeshi diaspora.
Prominent attendees included Baroness Sandeep Verma, Lord Dolar Popat, former MP Virendra Sharma, MPs Navendu Mishra, Luke Murphy, Jim Dickson, Birmingham Councillor Andrew Hardie, and MP Andrew Mitchell.
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Dignitaries acknowledged the situation as amounting to “ethnic cleansing” and pledged full support in raising the issue with the UK government.
Participants carried placards and chanted slogans such as “Stop Killing Hindus,” highlighting specific incidents including the arrest of interfaith voice Chinmaya Prabhu, the public lynching of Dipu Chandra Das (followed by reports of additional killings), and broader allegations of ongoing persecution, violence, rape, and killings under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
The BHA issued a statement clarifying the protest’s intent: “This protest is not against any nation or faith, but against injustice. Standing at Parliament Square is a call to conscience, urging the international community to recognise that Hindu lives matter and that silence is not an option.”
Organisers submitted a memorandum to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlining four key demands:
– Immediate suspension of UK aid to Bangladesh until perpetrators face action.
– Parliamentary action, including an urgent ministerial statement and full debate with scrutiny.
– Targeted international sanctions against those responsible.
– Appointment of a designated UK ministerial lead or special envoy to engage on the situation.
Social media amplified the events, with photos, livestreams, and testimonies reaching global audiences and garnering solidarity from Hindu organisations worldwide.
These protests occur against a backdrop of heightened tensions in Bangladesh, where minority rights groups have documented thousands of incidents since mid-2024, including temple desecrations, mob violence, and blasphemy-related attacks. Reports from organisations like the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad and international observers have noted a surge in such cases, prompting concerns over law and order, demographic changes, and protection for minorities.
Diaspora leaders in London emphasised that the demonstrations aim to pressure the interim government and international community for safeguards ahead of the February 2026 elections. In Dhaka, the focus remained on domestic reforms to rebuild trust and ensure justice.
As global attention grows, with allied actions planned in other cities (including rallies in the US on January 31), Wednesday’s events underscore a unified call from Hindu communities at home and abroad: End the violence, deliver justice, and protect minority lives.
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