Hinduism in Bangladesh

File:Bangladesh Hindu Map.png

File:Saravati statue Dhaka University.jpg

According to the 2001 Bangladesh census, there were around 11.82 million Hindus in Bangladesh constituting 9.6% of the population, which at the time was 123.15 million.{{Cite news |last=Nagarajan |first=Rema |date=22 May 2010 |title=Door out of Dhaka |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/door-out-of-dhaka/articleshow/5962198.cms |access-date=2021-05-09 |work=The Times of India |language=en |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510171559/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/door-out-of-dhaka/articleshow/5962198.cms |url-status=live }} The Bangladesh 2011 census states, that approximately 12.73 million people responded that they were Hindus, constituting 8.54% of the total 149.77 million.{{Cite web |title=Official Census Results 2011 page xiii |url=http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/National%20Reports/Union%20Statistics.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903181037/http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/National%20Reports/Union%20Statistics.pdf |archive-date=3 September 2017 |access-date=2015-04-17 |publisher=Bangladesh Government}} While 2022 Census of Bangladesh, put the number of Hindus in Bangladesh at 13.1 million out of total 165.1 million population, thus constituting 7.95% of the population. According to a report published by a local daily newspaper of Bangladesh, the Hindu population in the country has reduced by nearly one million between 2001 and 2011 period.{{Cite news |title=Bangladeshi Hindus seeking safety in India |url=https://www.dw.com/en/bangladeshi-hindus-seeking-safety-in-india/a-19310941 |work=Deutsche Welle}} The reduction mainly happened in nine districts – Bhola, Barisal, Jhalokati, Pirojpur, Bagerhat, Narail, Gopalganj, Rajbari and Manikganj.{{Cite web |last=Alaldulal |date=2014-04-12 |title=Is this the Bangladesh we wanted? Analyzing the Hindu Population Gap (2001-2011) |url=https://alalodulal.org/2014/04/12/hindu-population-gap/ |access-date=2021-04-21 |website=আলাল ও দুলাল {{!}} ALAL O DULAL |language=en |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420164044/https://alalodulal.org/2014/04/12/hindu-population-gap/ |url-status=live }} The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom have said that Hindus constitute merely 7% of the population in Bangladesh as per as the latest 2016 figures.{{Cite news |title=As per as Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, The country's Hindu population have declined from 8.5% in 2011 to 7% in 2016 |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2018/mar/25/at-a-mere-7-per-cent-bangladesh-hindus-under-threat-says-us-rights-activist-1792093.html |work=The New Indian Express |access-date=17 April 2021 |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417154701/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2018/mar/25/at-a-mere-7-per-cent-bangladesh-hindus-under-threat-says-us-rights-activist-1792093.html |url-status=live }} Hindus in Bangladesh in the late 2000s were almost evenly distributed in all regions, with large concentrations in Gopalganj, Dinajpur, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Mymensingh, Khulna, Jessore, Chittagong and parts of Chittagong Hill Tracts. In the capital city of Dhaka, Hindus are the second-largest religious community after the Muslims and the largest concentration of Hindus can be found in and around Shankhari Bazaar of the old city.

In 2013, Amnesty International reported that the rise of more explicitly Islamist political formations in Bangladesh during the 1990s had resulted in many Hindus being intimidated or attacked, and that fairly substantial numbers were leaving the country for India.{{Cite web |date=6 March 2013 |title=Bangladesh: Wave of violent attacks against Hindu minority |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/press-releases/2013/03/bangladesh-wave-violent-attacks-against-hindu-minority/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105222739/https://www.amnesty.org/en/press-releases/2013/03/bangladesh-wave-violent-attacks-against-hindu-minority/ |archive-date=5 November 2018 |access-date=9 November 2015 |publisher=Amnesty International}}

In 1901, Hindus constituted 33% of the population of what is now Bangladesh.{{Cite journal |last1=Moinuddin Haider |first1=M. |last2=Rahman |first2=Mizanur |last3=Kamal |first3=Nahid |year=2019 |title=Hindu Population Growth in Bangladesh: A Demographic Puzzle |journal=Journal of Religion and Demography |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=123–148 |doi=10.1163/2589742X-00601003 |s2cid=189978272}} In 1941, about 28% of the population were Hindus. Their proportion declined to 22% in 1951 after the Partition of India in 1947, as Hindus migrated from East Bengal to India. Wealthy Hindus who migrated lost their land and assets through the East Bengal Evacuees Act. Poor and middle-class Hindus who were left behind were targets of discriminatory new laws. At the outbreak of the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Defense of Pakistan Ordinance, and later the Enemy (Custody and Registration) Order II, labeled Hindus as the "enemy" and expropriated their property.{{Citation |last=Lintner |first=Bertil |title=Great Game East: India, China, and the Struggle for Asia's Most Volatile Frontier |pages=152–153 |year=2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p--5BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA152 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-21332-4}}{{Citation |last=D'Costa |first=Bina |title=Nationbuilding, Gender and War Crimes in South Asia |page=100 |year=2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivzKjY5LncIC&pg=PA100 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-56566-0}} The 1974 census of Bangladesh showed that the population of Hindus had fallen to 13.5%. Even after independence, the Hindus were branded "Indian stooges" and untrustworthy citizens.

Since 1971, the Hindu percentage has continued to decline, forming 8.5% of the population as of 2011. The fall in the share of total population has been attributed to outward migration, and the fertility rate for Hindus remaining consistently lower than Muslims (2.1 versus 2.3 as of 2014).

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics report, Khulna division has the highest decline in Hindu population of (1.33%) from 2011 to 2022 period. In 2011, 12.85% of the population of the division were Hindus. This rate has come down to 11.52% in 2022. Among the eight divisions, Khulna has the fourth highest Hindu population. According to the 2022 census, Sylhet division has the highest Hindu population of 13.5%, but the ratio was 14.05% in 2011. In Rangpur division, the Hindu population has decreased from 13.21% in 2011 to 12.98% in 2022. Mymensingh division has the lowest percentage of people belonging to the Hindu community at (3.92%) as of 2022.{{Cite news |date=27 July 2022 |title=Population of minority religions decrease further in Bangladesh |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/hindu-population-bangladesh-decreases-further-466170 |work=The Business News |access-date=29 July 2022 |archive-date=5 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505210353/https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/hindu-population-bangladesh-decreases-further-466170 |url-status=live }}

According to 2022 census, there are 43 Upazila's with Hindu percentage above 20%. They are listed below according to percentage.

Dacope Upazila is the only Hindu majority Upazila in Bangladesh.

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|y1=13.5, 12.1, 10.5, 9.6, 8.54, 7.95

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The Hindu population in what is now Bangladesh has consistently decreased as a percentage of the population, from 28% in 1941 to 13.5% at the time of Bangladesh's founding in 1974, and reducing further to 7.9% in 2022.{{Cite news |last=Ashraf |first=Ajaz |title=Interview: Hindus in Bangladesh have faced ethnic cleansing since 1947 |url=https://scroll.in/article/847725/interview-hindus-in-bangladesh-have-faced-ethnic-cleansing-since-1947 |access-date=2021-07-20 |work=Scroll.in |language=en-US |archive-date=26 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626151328/https://scroll.in/article/847725/interview-hindus-in-bangladesh-have-faced-ethnic-cleansing-since-1947 |url-status=live }}{{Cite journal |last=Mithun |first=Mahanam Bhattacharjee |date=2019-05-14 |title=Reasons Behind the Forced Migration of Bangladeshi Hindu Religious Minorities to India |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/ijgr/26/3/article-p461_461.xml |journal=International Journal on Minority and Group Rights |language=en |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=461–483 |doi=10.1163/15718115-02603002 |issn=1385-4879 |s2cid=150499523 |access-date=26 June 2021 |archive-date=26 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626151328/https://brill.com/view/journals/ijgr/26/3/article-p461_461.xml |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} Bangladesh Census authority have found that since from the last 50 years, about 7.5 million (75 lakhs) Hindus have left the country due to religious persecution and discrimination.{{Cite web |date=15 November 2021 |title=Hindus in Bangladesh decrease by 7.5 million over 50 years: Census |url=https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/hindus-in-bangladesh-decrease-by-7-5-million-over-50-years-census/ |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=28 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128124645/https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/hindus-in-bangladesh-decrease-by-7-5-million-over-50-years-census/ |url-status=live }} As per as 2016 official figures, it is estimated that Hindu population have came down to a mere 7%.{{Cite news |title=At a mere 7 per cent, Bangladesh Hindus under threat, says US rights activist |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2018/mar/25/at-a-mere-7-per-cent-bangladesh-hindus-under-threat-says-us-rights-activist-1792093.html |access-date=2021-07-20 |work=The New Indian Express |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417154701/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2018/mar/25/at-a-mere-7-per-cent-bangladesh-hindus-under-threat-says-us-rights-activist-1792093.html |url-status=live }}

{{Historical populations

|title = Historical Hindu Population

|type =

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|state =

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|percentages =

|source = [https://books.google.com/books?id=4w1kq_A4oCEC&pg=PA63 God Willing: The Politics of Islamism in Bangladesh] by Ali Riaz, p. 63

|1901 | 9,546,240

|1911 | 9,939,825

|1921 | 10,176,030

|1931 | 10,466,988

|1941 | 11,759,160

|1951 | 9,239,603

|1961 | 9,379,669

|1974 | 9,673,048

|1981 | 10,570,245

|1991 | 11,178,866

|2001 | 11,822,581

|2011 | 12,730,651

|2022 | 13,130,109

}}From 1964 to 2013, around 11.3 million Hindus left Bangladesh due to religious persecution and discrimination, as stated by Dhaka university economist Abul Barkat. On average 632 Hindus left the country each day and 230,612 annually as reported by him.{{cite news |title='No Hindus will be left after 30 years' |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/10113/%E2%80%98no-hindus-will-be-left-after-30-years%E2%80%99 |work=Dhaka Tribune |date=20 November 2016 |access-date=13 April 2024 |archive-date=8 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408180947/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/10113/%E2%80%98no-hindus-will-be-left-after-30-years%E2%80%99 |url-status=live }}

From his 30-year-long research, Barkat found that the exodus mostly took place during military governments after independence.{{Cite news |date=2016-11-20 |title=No Hindus will be left after 30 years |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/11/20/abul-barkat-11-hindus-left-country-day |access-date=2021-02-09 |work=Dhaka Tribune}} Barkat also state's: that there should have been 28.7 million Hindus in the year 2013 instead of 12.2 million", Or, to put it another way, Hindus should have accounted for 16-18% of Bangladesh's population, not 9.7% as they do currently.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-08 |title=Bangladeshis Say Amit Shah Playing Jinnah's Game |url=https://www.newsclick.in/Bangladeshis-Amit-Shah-Playing-Jinnah-Game |access-date=2021-02-09 |website=NewsClick |language=en |archive-date=29 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129171304/https://www.newsclick.in/Bangladeshis-Amit-Shah-Playing-Jinnah-Game |url-status=live }} According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Hindus constitute merely 7% of the population in Bangladesh as per as the latest 2016 figures.{{Cite news |title=At a mere 7 per cent, Bangladesh Hindus under threat, says US rights activist |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2018/mar/25/at-a-mere-7-per-cent-bangladesh-hindus-under-threat-says-us-rights-activist-1792093.html |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=The New Indian Express |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417154701/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2018/mar/25/at-a-mere-7-per-cent-bangladesh-hindus-under-threat-says-us-rights-activist-1792093.html |url-status=live }}

According to the Pew Research Center, Bangladesh will have 14.47 million Hindus by 2050 who will comprise 7.3% of the country's population.{{Cite web |date=2015-04-02 |title=Projected Changes in the Global Hindu Population |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/hindus/ |access-date=2021-02-09 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |language=en-US |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123182203/https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/hindus/ |url-status=live }} Another theory suggest that Bangladesh will have at least 180-200 million population by 2050,{{Cite news |date=2018-04-14 |title=What will Bangladesh look like in 2050? |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/what-will-bangladesh-look-2050-1562434 |access-date=2021-05-09 |work=The Daily Star |language=en |archive-date=6 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706162836/https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/what-will-bangladesh-look-2050-1562434 |url-status=live }} out of which there will be around 8.51-9.25 million Hindus living in this nation, thus constituting only 4% after the beginning of half-century.{{Cite web |title=Violence Against Minority Hindus in Bangladesh: An Analysis |url=https://www.vifindia.org/article/2014/july/30/violence-against-minority-hindus-in-bangladesh-an-analysis |access-date=2021-05-09 |website=vifindia.org |language=en |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628023630/https://www.vifindia.org/article/2014/july/30/violence-against-minority-hindus-in-bangladesh-an-analysis |url-status=live }}

On average, annually 230,612 Hindus were leaving Bangladesh for India permanently. So between (2024–2050), It is estimated that 5,995,912 Hindus will leave the country if current immigration rates continue further.{{Cite news |date=2016-11-22 |title=No Hindus will be left in Bangladesh after 30 years: professor |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/No-Hindus-will-be-left-in-Bangladesh-after-30-years-professor/article16675228.ece |access-date=2021-04-22 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |agency=PTI |archive-date=31 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331110048/https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/No-Hindus-will-be-left-in-Bangladesh-after-30-years-professor/article16675228.ece |url-status=live }}

{{See also|East Bengali refugees|Hinduism in West Bengal|States of India by Bengali speakers|Bengali Hindus|Bengali Hindu diaspora|Bengali Hindus in Assam}}

With migration into West Bengal, the 1947 partition of Bengal significantly altered religious demographics in the eastern segment of the province, which later became Bangladesh. Violence also saw an uptick in the 1950s and 1960s in what had then become East Pakistan (present-day-Bangladesh), leading to large numbers of upper caste Bengali Hindus migrating to West Bengal, Assam and Tripura with official Indian government records indicating 2,519,557 (Hindu) refugees crossed into India from East Bengal between 1941 and 1951.{{Cite web |title=Homepage |url=https://home.iitk.ac.in/ |access-date=2021-04-21 |website=home.iitk.ac.in}}

Utilizing demography studies and other methods over a 55-year period from 1947 to 2001, professor Sachi Dastidar of the State University of New York calculates that well over 49 million Hindus are missing today from Bangladesh.{{Cite news |title=Ethnic cleansing of Hindus on rise in Bangladesh |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2012/feb/26/ethnic-cleansing-of-hindus-on-rise-in-bangladesh-343684.html |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=The New Indian Express |archive-date=3 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403154013/https://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2012/feb/26/ethnic-cleansing-of-hindus-on-rise-in-bangladesh-343684.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=OHCHR {{!}} Home |url=https://www.ohchr.org/ |access-date=27 March 2021 |archive-date=12 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212022541/http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/defenders/declaration.htm |url-status=live }}https://www.ipf.org.in {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328163612/https://www.ipf.org.in/ |date=28 March 2021 }} › EncycPDF Bangladesh Book final english – India Policy Foundation According to a report published by a local daily newspaper of Bangladesh, the Hindu population in the country has reduced by 1 million between 2001 and 2011 period. Ergo in the absence of partition in 1947 and other events that followed, It is estimated the present-day Bangladeshi hindu population would be approximately 63.13 million or 28%, well above the current population of 12.73 million or 8.5%, as reported in the Bangladesh 2011 census.https://www.ipf.org.in › EncycPDF

Bangladesh Book final english – India Policy Foundation{{Cite news |date=2016-06-07 |title=Bangladeshi Hindus seeking safety in India |url=https://www.dw.com/en/bangladeshi-hindus-seeking-safety-in-india/a-19310941 |access-date=2021-05-04 |work=Deutsche Welle |language=en-GB |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422165016/https://www.dw.com/en/bangladeshi-hindus-seeking-safety-in-india/a-19310941 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Alaldulal |date=2014-04-12 |title=Is this the Bangladesh we wanted? Analyzing the Hindu Population Gap (2001-2011) |url=https://alalodulal.org/2014/04/12/hindu-population-gap/ |access-date=2021-04-21 |website=alalodulal.org |language=en |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420164044/https://alalodulal.org/2014/04/12/hindu-population-gap/ |url-status=live }}

After the 1960s, most of the migration was lower caste – a trend that has continued to till this day. As per a BJP estimate, Bangladeshi Hindu immigrants are a significant presence in 75 Assembly constituencies – making up approximately a fourth of the state's seats.{{cite news | url=https://scroll.in/article/845354/why-hindu-immigrants-from-bangladesh-are-a-key-component-of-the-bjps-west-bengal-expansion-strategy | title=Why Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh are a key component of the BJP's West Bengal expansion strategy | work=Scroll.in | date=10 August 2017 | access-date=16 April 2021 | archive-date=26 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226061507/https://scroll.in/article/845354/why-hindu-immigrants-from-bangladesh-are-a-key-component-of-the-bjps-west-bengal-expansion-strategy | url-status=live }}

Starting from the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has made the issue of Hindu Bangladeshi immigrants a core part of its strategy in West Bengal.{{Cite news |last=Daniyal |first=Shoaib |title=Why Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh are a key component of the BJP's West Bengal expansion strategy |url=https://scroll.in/article/845354/why-hindu-immigrants-from-bangladesh-are-a-key-component-of-the-bjps-west-bengal-expansion-strategy |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=Scroll.in |language=en-US |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226061507/https://scroll.in/article/845354/why-hindu-immigrants-from-bangladesh-are-a-key-component-of-the-bjps-west-bengal-expansion-strategy |url-status=live }} An estimation shows that around 30 million Bangladeshi origin low-caste Hindu refugees live in different parts of West Bengal specially in southern districts namely North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia and other smaller pockets of North and South Bengal, they are having an influence in over 70 assembly constituencies and are eagerly waiting to acquire Indian citizenship through CAA which was passed by Indian parliament in 2019 year for the purpose of granting them citizenship (if their religion is Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism) as a promise criteria made by BJP in the election campaign of West Bengal earlier before the passage of that bill.{{Cite news |last=Lahiri |first=Ishadrita |date=2021-02-22 |title=Explained: Why The Matua Vote Is Crucial For Bengal Elections |url=https://www.thequint.com/news/politics/west-bengal-politics-why-the-matua-community-vote-is-crucial-for-bengal-elections-2021 |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=TheQuint |language=en |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416120334/https://www.thequint.com/news/politics/west-bengal-politics-why-the-matua-community-vote-is-crucial-for-bengal-elections-2021 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |title=Bengal polls: Matua MP says his community wants CAA to be implemented, waiting to hear from Shah |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/dec/30/bengal-polls-matua-mp-says-his-community-wants-caa-to-be-implemented-waiting-to-hear-from-shah-2243255.html |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=The New Indian Express |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416120334/https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/dec/30/bengal-polls-matua-mp-says-his-community-wants-caa-to-be-implemented-waiting-to-hear-from-shah-2243255.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=2020-11-07 |title=TMC, BJP jostle for SC, ST, refugee vote banks in Bengal ahead of Assembly polls in 2021 |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/tmc-bjp-jostle-for-sc-st-refugee-vote-banks-in-bengal-ahead-of-assembly-polls-in-2021-912666.html |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=Deccan Herald |language=en |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416120336/https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/tmc-bjp-jostle-for-sc-st-refugee-vote-banks-in-bengal-ahead-of-assembly-polls-in-2021-912666.html |url-status=live }} An estimation shows that Assam has around 2 million Bangladeshi Hindus living in different parts of the state and are struggling to acquire Indian citizenship just like their counterparts in neighbouring West Bengal.{{Cite news |title=20 lakh Bangladeshi Hindus to become Indians if Citizenship Bill is passed: KMSS |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/headlines/20-lakh-bangladeshi-hindus-to-become-indians-if-citizenship-bill-is-passed-kmss |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=The Free Press Journal |language=en}} The BJP hopes to wean away a large chunk of Bengali settlers who took refuge in Tripura from Bangladesh (former East Pakistan). The influx of the Bengali Hindus increased during the Bangladesh Liberation War and around at that time of (1971), India have received 10 million refugees from East Pakistan- mostly 80% being Hindus, and after Bangladesh become independent, nearly 1.5 million of Bengali Hindu refugees decided to stay back in India particularly in West Bengal and other North Eastern states majorly in Assam and Tripura.IIT Kanpur

https://home.iitk.ac.in {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416120338/https://home.iitk.ac.in/ |date=16 April 2021 }} › ArticlePDF

Hindu Genocide in East Pakistan{{Cite news |title=When Indira Gandhi said: Refugees of all religions must go back – Watch video |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/indira-gandhi-rahul-gandhi-rajiv-gandhi-east-pakistan-pakistan-assam-accord-national-register-of-citizens-congress-bharatiya-janata-party-tripura/264462 |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=Times Now |language=en |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123092721/https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/indira-gandhi-rahul-gandhi-rajiv-gandhi-east-pakistan-pakistan-assam-accord-national-register-of-citizens-congress-bharatiya-janata-party-tripura/264462 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |date=30 July 2000 |title=A home ... far from home? |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2000/07/30/stories/13300611.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20160504180135/http://www.thehindu.com/2000/07/30/stories/13300611.htm |archive-date=4 May 2016 |access-date=6 September 2021 |work=The Hindu}}{{Cite news |last=Ayoob |first=Mohammed |date=2018-03-15 |title=Explaining 1971 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/explaining-1971/article23247097.ece |access-date=2021-05-04 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416125358/https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/explaining-1971/article23247097.ece |url-status=live }} Census data show the population of Tripura's 19 Scheduled Tribes dropped from 63.77% in 1881 to 31.78% in 2011. This is attributed to the migration of 6.10 lakh Bengalis – the figure almost equal to the State's total population in 1951 – from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) between 1947 and 1971.{{Cite news |last=Karmakar |first=Rahul |date=2018-10-27 |title=Tripura, where demand for Assam-like NRC widens gap between indigenous people and non-tribal settlers |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/tripura-where-demand-for-assam-like-nrc-widens-gap-between-indigenous-people-and-non-tribal-settlers/article25348269.ece |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109040851/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/tripura-where-demand-for-assam-like-nrc-widens-gap-between-indigenous-people-and-non-tribal-settlers/article25348269.ece |url-status=live }} At present, there are around 2.2 million Bengali Hindus in Tripura (mostly having Eastern Bangladeshi origin), making them the largest ethnic group in the State, constituting around 60 per cent of the state population.{{Cite news |title=BJP eyes 2.2 m Bengali Hindus in Tripura quest |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2017/sunday-edition/bjp-eyes-22-m-bengali-hindus-in-tripura-quest.html |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=The Pioneer |language=en |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914144242/https://www.dailypioneer.com/2017/sunday-edition/bjp-eyes-22-m-bengali-hindus-in-tripura-quest.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |title=Tripura election 2018: What prompted Bengali-majority Tripura to forgive BJP {{!}} India News |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/what-prompted-bengali-majority-tripura-to-forgive-bjp/articleshow/63155511.cms |access-date=2021-04-21 |work=The Times of India |language=en |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417194456/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/what-prompted-bengali-majority-tripura-to-forgive-bjp/articleshow/63155511.cms |url-status=live }}

The official number of Hindus living in Bangladesh is about 13.1 million or say 7.9% as per as 2022 census conducted by Bangladesh government authority. However, at certain times different leaders as well as Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics have given different estimates. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) have found that 4.67 million people, which is about 2.75% of country's total population, were have not been counted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) for 2022 census. Moreover, around 2.75% of undercount was reported in the case of Muslims against 2.68% of followers of other religions.{{Cite news |date=6 February 2023 |title=46.7 lakh people undercounted in latest census: BIDS |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/467-lakh-people-undercounted-latest-census-bids-580898 |access-date=11 March 2023 |work=The Business Standard |archive-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314100041/https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/467-lakh-people-undercounted-latest-census-bids-580898 |url-status=live }} At the same time, Indigenous activists of Bangladesh have claimed that Ethnic minorities have been undercounted in Bangladesh's latest census.{{Cite news |title=Ethnic Minorities Missing From Census, Say Bangladesh Activists |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/ethnic-minorities-missing-from-census-say-bangladesh-activists-01660219508 |access-date=11 March 2023 |work=Barrons |agency=Agence France Presse}}

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| source = [https://books.google.com/books?id=4w1kq_A4oCEC&pg=PA63 God Willing: The Politics of Islamism in Bangladesh] by Ali Riaz, p. 63|1901|9,546,240|1911|9,939,825|1921|10,176,030|1931|10,466,988|1941|11,759,160|1951|9,239,603|1961|9,379,669|1974|9,673,048|1981|10,570,245|1991|11,178,866|2001|11,822,581|2011|13,730,651||||

}}In nature, Bangladeshi Hinduism closely resembles the forms and customs of Hinduism practiced in the neighboring Indian state of West Bengal, with which Bangladesh (at one time known as East Bengal) was united until the partition of India in 1947.{{Sfn|Rummel|1998|p=877}} The vast majority of Hindus in Bangladesh are Bengali Hindus.{{Sfn|Nasrin|2014|pp=67-90}} Goddess (Devi) – usually venerated as Durga or Kali – is widely revered, often alongside her consort Shiva.{{Cite news |date=2020-11-13 |title=Kali Puja on Saturday |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/11/13/kali-puja-on-saturday |access-date=2021-02-13 |work=Dhaka Tribune |archive-date=13 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113151447/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/11/13/kali-puja-on-saturday |url-status=live }} The worship of Shiva has generally found adherents among the higher castes in Bangladesh.{{Cite news |title=The Subaltern Deities of Bengal Are up Against Aggressive Hindutva Now |url=https://thewire.in/culture/bengal-deities-bjp-ram-durga |access-date=2021-02-13 |work=The Wire}}{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Hinduism |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/89600298/ |last=Rahim |first=Enayetur |date=1989 |editor-last=Heitzman |editor-first=James |pages=78–82 |language=en |oclc=49223313 |editor2-last=Worden |editor2-first=Robert L |access-date=24 August 2021 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404171656/http://www.loc.gov/item/89600298/ |url-status=live }}{{PD-notice}} Worship of Vishnu (typically in the form of his Avatars or incarnation Rama or Krishna{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}) more explicitly cuts across caste lines by teaching the fundamental oneness of humankind in spirit. Vishnu worship in Bengal expresses the union of the male and female principles in a tradition of love and devotion.{{Cite book |last=Mark W. Muesse |url=https://archive.org/details/hindutraditionsc00mues |title=The Hindu traditions |date=2011 |publisher=Fortress Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-8006-9790-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/hindutraditionsc00mues/page/6670 6670]}} This form of Hindu belief and the Sufi tradition of Islam have influenced and interacted with each other in Bengal. Both were popular mystical movements emphasizing the personal relationship of religious leaders and disciples instead of the dry stereotypes of the Brahmins or the Ulama.{{Cite book |last=Chari |first=S. M. Srinivasa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=evmiLInyxBMC |title=Vaiṣṇavism: Its Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Discipline |date=1994 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |isbn=978-81-208-1098-3 |pages=32–33 |language=en}} As in Bengali Hindu practice, worship of Vishnu frequently occurs in a small devotional society (shomaj). Both use the language of earthly love to express communion with the divine.{{Cite web |title=International Journal of Hindu Studies {{!}} Volumes and issues |url=https://link.springer.com/journal/11407/volumes-and-issues |access-date=2021-02-13 |website=SpringerLink |language=en |archive-date=12 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212174958/https://link.springer.com/journal/11407/volumes-and-issues |url-status=live }} In both traditions, the Bengali language is the vehicle of a large corpus of mystical literature of great beauty and emotional impact.

In Bangladeshi Hinduism, ritual bathing, vows, and pilgrimages to sacred rivers, mountains, and shrines are common practices. An ordinary Hindu will worship at the shrines of Muslim pirs, without being concerned with the religion to which that place is supposed to be affiliated.{{Cite magazine |last=Aquil |first=Raziuddin |title=History of a distinct culture |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/article26003781.ece |access-date=2021-02-13 |magazine=Frontline |language=en |archive-date=13 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513054835/https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/article26003781.ece |url-status=live }} Hindus revere many holy men and ascetics conspicuous for their bodily mortifications. Durga Puja, held in September–October, is the most important festival of Bangladeshi Hindus and it is widely celebrated amongst Bangladeshi Hindus. Thousands of pandals (mandaps) are set up in various cities, towns, and villages to mark the festival. Other festivals are Kali Puja, Janmashtami, Holi, Saraswati Puja, Shivratri and Rathayatra, the most popular being the century-old Dhamrai Rathayatra.

The principle of ahimsa is expressed in almost universally observed rules against eating beef. By no means are all Bangladeshi Hindus vegetarians, but abstinence from all kinds of meat is regarded as a "higher" virtue. The Priestly Caste Brahmin (pronounced Brahmon in Bengali) Bangladeshi Hindus, unlike their counterparts elsewhere in South Asia, eat fish and chicken. This is similar to the Indian state of West Bengal, where Hindus also consume fish, eggs, chicken, and mutton. There are also some vegetarians as well. There are also non-Bengali Hindus in Bangladesh, majority of the Hajong, Rajbongshi people and Tripuris in Bangladesh are Hindus.{{Cite web |last=Refugees |first=United Nations High Commissioner for |title=Refworld – World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Bangladesh : Adivasis |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/49749d5841.html |website=Refworld |access-date=2 December 2018 |archive-date=2 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202112706/https://www.refworld.org/docid/49749d5841.html |url-status=live }}

{{main|List of Hindu temples in Bangladesh}}

File:Kantaji Temple Dinajpur Bangladesh (12).JPG|Kantajew Temple

File:Shiva Temple, Puthia, Rajshahi NK (2).jpg|Shiva Temple, Puthia, Rajshahi.

File:রমনা কালী মন্দির 5.jpg|Ramna Kali Temple, Dhaka

File:Kal Bhairab in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh-5.jpg|Kal Bhairab Temple at Brahmanbaria.

File:Gobinda Temple, Puthia, Rajshahi (1).JPG|Gobinda Temple, Puthia, Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

File:Durgapuja Dhaka JBI.jpg|Durga Puja in Dhaka.

File:Roth Procession.jpg|Roth Yatra procession.

Hindu temples and shrines are more or less distributed all across the country. The Kantaji Temple is an elegant example of an 18th-century temple. The most important temple in terms of prominence is the Dhakeshwari National Temple, located in Dhaka. This temple along with other Hindu organizations arranges Durga Puja and Krishna Janmaashtami very prominently.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} The other main temples of Dhaka are the Ramakrishna Mission, Ramna Kali Temple, Joy Kali Temple, Laxmi Narayan Mandir, Swami Bagh Temple and Siddheswari Kalimandir.{{Cite web |date=2019-09-11 |title=Top 10 Hindu Temple in Bangladesh (Oldest And Biggest) |url=https://www.travelmate.com.bd/top-hindu-temple-in-bangladesh/ |access-date=2021-04-22 |website=Travel Mate |language=en-US |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422045639/https://www.travelmate.com.bd/top-hindu-temple-in-bangladesh/ |url-status=live }}

Many Hindu temples have suffered from the implementation of the Vested Property Act through which land and moveable property has been confiscated by agents acting on behalf of successive governments.{{Cite journal |last=Feldman |first=Shelley |date=2016-04-22 |title=The Hindu as Other: State, Law, and Land Relations in Contemporary Bangladesh |url=http://journals.openedition.org/samaj/4111 |journal=South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal |language=en |issue=13 |doi=10.4000/samaj.4111 |issn=1960-6060 |doi-access=free |access-date=22 April 2021 |archive-date=21 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821041101/https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/4111 |url-status=live }}{{better source needed|date=June 2022|better source can be provided here}}

{{Further|Bengali Hindu wedding}}File:Bangladeshi Hindu Wedding Rituals Sindoor Daan.jpg.]]

Hindu family law governs the personal life of Hindus in Bangladesh. There is no known limit for the number of wives a Hindu man can take in Bangladesh so polygamy for Hindu man is legal in Bangladesh.{{Cite web |title=Bangladesh: Family code |url=http://genderindex.org/country/bangladesh |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518190526/https://www.genderindex.org/country/bangladesh/ |archive-date=2019-05-18 |access-date=2009-06-10}}

"Under Bangladesh Hindu (civil) law, men may have multiple wives, but there are officially no options for divorce", the United States Department of State 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Bangladesh reported. Women are also prohibited from inheriting property under the civil laws for Hindus, the report said. A survey conducted during the year by Research Initiatives in Bangladesh and MJF showed that 26.7% of Hindu men and 29.2% of Hindu women would like to obtain a divorce but did not do so because of existing laws.{{Cite news |date=2017-08-16 |title=Hindus can practice polygamy in Bangladesh; forbidden to divorce, remarry |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/hindus-can-practice-polygamy-in-bangladesh-forbidden-to-divorce-remarry-117081600447_1.html |access-date=2021-02-09 |work=Business Standard |agency=IANS |archive-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108051025/https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/hindus-can-practice-polygamy-in-bangladesh-forbidden-to-divorce-remarry-117081600447_1.html |url-status=live }}

{{see also | Persecution of Hindus#Bangladesh| l1= Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh | Human rights in Bangladesh#Non| l2=Persecution of Non-Muslims in Bangladesh | List of massacres in Bangladesh| Bangladesh genocide | Malaun }}

{{Violence against Hindus in East Pakistan and Bangladesh}}

Hindus and others have been regularly and systematically persecuted, the persecution has occurred during events which include the Bangladesh genocide, the Bangladesh Liberation War and numerous recurring massacres of civilians{{Cite news |date=14 June 2015 |title=Forkan Razakar's verdict any day |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2015/06/14/forkan-razakars-verdict-any-day |work=Dhaka Tribune |access-date=19 December 2023 |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112054525/https://www.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2015/06/14/forkan-razakars-verdict-any-day |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=25 March 2016 |title=Why is the mass sexualized violence of Bangladesh's Liberation War being ignored? |url=https://womenintheworld.com/2016/03/25/why-is-the-mass-sexualized-violence-of-bangladeshs-liberation-war-being-ignored/ |publisher=Women In The World}}{{Cite web |title=Discovery of numerous Mass Graves, Various types of torture on Women" and "People's Attitude |url=https://www.kean.edu/~bgsg/Conference09/Papers_and_Presentations/MA_Hasan_Paper_Discovery%20of%20numerous%20Mass%20Graves,%20Various%20types.pdf |publisher=kean.edu |access-date=19 December 2023 |archive-date=17 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417050433/http://www.kean.edu/~bgsg/Conference09/Papers_and_Presentations/MA_Hasan_Paper_Discovery%20of%20numerous%20Mass%20Graves,%20Various%20types.pdf |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Crimes Against Humanity in Bangladesh |url=https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3945&context=til |publisher=scholar.smu.edu |access-date=19 December 2023 |archive-date=18 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318004004/https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3945&context=til |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=25 March 2010 |title=Bangladesh war: The article that changed history |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16207201 |work=BBC News |access-date=19 December 2023 |archive-date=16 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616035043/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16207201 |url-status=live }}White, Matthew, [http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat2.htm#Bangladesh Death Tolls for the Major Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609095015/http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat2.htm#Bangladesh |date=9 June 2007 }}{{Cite news |title=First Razakar camp in Khulna turns into ghost house after Liberation War |url=https://www.observerbd.com/2015/12/30/128351.php |access-date=2023-04-26 |work=The Daily Observer}} where rapes were also used as weapon.{{Cite journal |last=Sharlach |first=Lisa |year=2000 |title=Rape as Genocide: Bangladesh, the Former Yugoslavia, and Rwanda |journal=New Political Science |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=92–93 |doi=10.1080/713687893 |s2cid=144966485}}{{Cite book |last=Sajjad |first=Tazreena |title=Plight and Fate of Women During and Following Genocide |publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4128-4759-9 |editor-last=Totten |editor-first=Samuel |editor-link=Samuel Totten |pages=225 |chapter=The Post-Genocidal Period and its Impact on Women |orig-year=First published 2009}}

Malaun (from Arabic ملعون, meaning "accursed") is a pejorative term for Bengali Hindus, most commonly used in Bangladesh by Bengali Muslims.{{Cite book |last=Roy |first=Tathagata |title=My People, Uprooted |publisher=Ratna Prakashan |year=2002 |isbn=81-85709-67-X |location=Kolkata |page=18}}{{Cite web |last=Dastidar |first=Sachi |date=12 April 2008 |title=Bangladesh: The Upcoming National Elections, Pluralism, Tolerance and the Plight of Hindu and Non-Muslim Minority - Need a New Direction |url=http://www.uscirf.gov/component/content/article/290/2318.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828234152/http://uscirf.gov/component/content/article/290/2318.html |archive-date=28 August 2013 |access-date=13 September 2013 |website=Bangladesh: Religious Freedom, Extremism, Security, and the Upcoming National Elections |publisher=United States Commission on International Religious Freedom}}{{Cite web |date=12 September 2002 |title=Minorities Fear for Life and Security |url=http://hrcbm.org/news/HRCBM_UA_091202.pdf |access-date=16 October 2013 |publisher=HRCBM |archive-date=6 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406050106/http://hrcbm.org/news/HRCBM_UA_091202.pdf |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Chatterjee |first=Garga |date=4 March 2015 |title=The unholy killings of Avijit Roy and Govind Pansare |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-the-unholy-killings-of-avijit-roy-and-govind-pansare-2065974 |access-date=9 March 2015 |work=Daily News and Analysis |archive-date=7 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307060955/http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-the-unholy-killings-of-avijit-roy-and-govind-pansare-2065974 |url-status=live }}

{{main|Bangladesh Liberation War|1971 Bangladesh atrocities|Operation Searchlight}}

The Bangladesh Liberation War resulted in one of the largest genocides of the 20th century. While estimates of the number of casualties were 200,000–3,000,000, it is reasonably certain that Hindus bore a disproportionate brunt of the Pakistan Army's onslaught against the Bengali population of what was East Pakistan.{{Refn|{{harvnb|Murshid|2018|p=21}}{{harvnb|Lorea|2016|p=89}}}} The Pakistani Army killed many Bengali Hindus during the Liberation War, and most of the Bengali Hindu-owned businesses were permanently destroyed. The historic Ramna Kali Temple in Dhaka and the century-old Rath at Dhamrai were demolished and burned down by the Pakistani Army.{{Refn|An article in Time magazine dated 2 August 1971, stated "The Hindus, who account for three-fourths of the refugees and a majority of the dead, have borne the brunt of the Moslem military's hatred."{{Cite magazine |date=2 August 1971 |title=Pakistan: The Ravaging of Golden Bengal |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/printout/0,8816,878408,00.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311141813/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,878408,00.html |archive-date=11 March 2007 |access-date=2013-10-25 |magazine=Time |volume=98 |issue=5}}

An estimated 10 million East Pakistanis sought refuge in India, with 80% being Hindus. Approximately 8 million Hindus fled to various parts of India during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War to escape persecution by Pakistani armies and Islamic militias. Active perpetrators of genocide, ethnic cleansing and rapes of Hindus in Bangladesh include the Pakistani Military, Al Badr,{{Cite web |last=Mamoon |first=Muntassir |title=Al-Badr |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Al-Badr |access-date=4 September 2016 |website=Banglapedia |publisher=Bangladesh Asiatic Society |archive-date=12 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912022013/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Al-Badr |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last1=Sisson |first1=Richard |title=War and Secession: Pakistan, India, and the Creation of Bangladesh |last2=Rose |first2=Leo E. |date=1991 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-07665-5 |page=165}} Al Sham,{{Cite web |title=Pakistan's first two militant Islamist groups, Al-Badar and Al-Shams – by Nadeem F. Paracha |url=https://lubpak.com/archives/42543 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227153530/https://lubpak.com/archives/42543 |archive-date=27 December 2015 |access-date=29 December 2015 |website=LUBP}} East Pakistan Central Peace Committee,{{Cite book |last=Karlekar |first=Hiranmay |url=https://archive.org/details/bangladeshnextaf0000karl |title=Bangladesh: The Next Afghanistan? |date=2005 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=978-0-7619-3401-1 |page=149 |url-access=registration}} Razakars,{{Cite news |date=16 December 2019 |title=Govt publishes list of Razakars |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/the-list-of-10789-razakars-published-1840843 |work=The Daily Star |access-date=19 December 2023 |archive-date=16 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616151432/https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/the-list-of-10789-razakars-published-1840843 |url-status=live }} Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Urdu-speaking Biharis.{{Cite news |last=Kann |first=Peter R. |date=27 July 1971 |title=East Pakistan Is Seen Gaining Independence, But It Will Take Years |work=The Wall Street Journal}} After Independence, it was discovered that 1.5 million Hindus remained in India, while the remaining 6.5 million returned to Bangladesh.{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/sarkari-thoughts/treatment-of-the-1971-east-bengali-refugees-a-forgotten-experience/ | title=Treatment of the 1971 East Bengali refugees: A forgotten experience | newspaper=The Times of India | last1=Sarkar | first1=Dr Subhradipta | access-date=3 May 2024 | archive-date=12 June 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612195602/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/sarkari-thoughts/treatment-of-the-1971-east-bengali-refugees-a-forgotten-experience/ | url-status=live }} Additionally, an estimated 3.1 million Hindus who were already residing in Bangladesh chose to remain during the turmoil and survived the atrocities. It is estimated that between 300,000 and 3 million people were killed during the Bangladesh Liberation War, with 300,000 to 400,000 Bengali women being raped, with many of the victims being Hindus.{{cite web | last=Dummett | first=Mark | title=Bangladesh war: The article that changed history | website=BBC News | date=2011-12-15 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16207201 | access-date=2024-10-25 | archive-date=16 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616035043/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16207201 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | last=Magazine | first=Smithsonian | last2=Boissoneault | first2=Lorraine | title=The Genocide the U.S. Can't Remember, But Bangladesh Can't Forget | website=Smithsonian Magazine | date=2016-12-16 | url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/genocide-us-cant-remember-bangladesh-cant-forget-180961490/ | access-date=2024-10-25 | archive-date=17 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161217125201/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/genocide-us-cant-remember-bangladesh-cant-forget-180961490/ | url-status=live }}{{cite web | last=Bergman | first=David | title=The Politics of Bangladesh’s Genocide Debate | website=The New York Times | date=2016-04-05 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/06/opinion/the-politics-of-bangladeshs-genocide-debate.html | access-date=2024-10-25 | archive-date=13 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313115448/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/06/opinion/the-politics-of-bangladeshs-genocide-debate.html | url-status=live }}{{cite book | last = Mookherjee | first = Nayanika | editor1 = Raphaelle Branche | editor2 = Fabrice Virgili | title = Rape in Wartime | chapter = Mass rape and the inscription of gendered and racial domination during the Bangladesh War of 1971 | year = 2012 | publisher = Palgrave Macmillan | isbn = 978-0-230-36399-1}}{{cite book |editor1-last=Bartrop |editor1-first=Paul R. |editor1-link=Paul R. Bartrop |editor2-last=Jacobs |editor2-first=Steven Leonard |editor2-link=Steven Leonard Jacobs |year=2014 |title=Modern Genocide: The Definitive Resource and Document Collection |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JB4UBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1866 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=1866 |isbn=978-1-61069-364-6}}

Senator Edward Kennedy wrote in a report that was part of United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations testimony dated 1 November 1971, "Hardest hit have been members of the Hindu community who have been robbed of their lands and shops, systematically slaughtered, and in some places, painted with yellow patches marked "H". All of this has been officially sanctioned, ordered and implemented under martial law from Islamabad". In the same report, Senator Kennedy reported that 60% of the refugees in India were Hindus and according to numerous international relief agencies such as UNESCO and World Health Organization, the number of East Pakistani refugees at its peak in India was close to 10 million.

The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Sydney Schanberg covered the start of the war and wrote extensively on the suffering of the East Bengalis, including the Hindus both during and after the conflict. In a syndicated column "The Pakistani Slaughter That Nixon Ignored", he wrote about his return to liberated Bangladesh in 1972. "Other reminders were the yellow "H"s the Pakistanis had painted on the homes of Hindus, particular targets of the Pakistani army, (Newsday, 29 April 1994).}}

Persecution of Hindus continued in independent Bangladesh.

According to the report of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in 2018, Hindus are among those who are persecuted in Bangladesh, with hundreds of cases of "killings, attempted killings, death threats, assaults, rapes, kidnappings, and attacks on homes, businesses, and places of worship" of religious minorities in 2017.{{Cite press release |title=Bangladesh 2018 International Religious Freedom Report |date=2019 |publisher=US State Department |url=https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/BANGLADESH-2018-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf |access-date=19 December 2023 |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414120728/https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/BANGLADESH-2018-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf |url-status=live }} Hindu temples in Bangladesh have also been vandalised.{{USCongRec|2004|H3057|date=17 May 2004}}

According to Dr. Abul Barkat, no Hindus will be left in Bangladesh 30 years from now if the current rate of "exodus" continues as on an average 632 people from the minority community leave the Muslim-majority country each day. From 1964 to 2013, around 11.3 million Hindus left Bangladesh due to religious persecution and discrimination which means on an average 632 Hindus left the country each day and 230,612 annually, he said at the book launch ceremony at the Dhaka University (DU).{{Cite news |date=21 November 2016 |title=In 30 years, there would be no Hindus in Bangladesh |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/in-30-years-there-would-be-no-hindus-in-bangladesh/articleshow/92017468.cms}}

In the first constitution of the newly independent country, secularism and equality of all citizens irrespective of religious identity were enshrined.{{Sfn|Nasrin|2014|pp=78-79}} On his return to liberated Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his first speech to the nation, specifically recognized the disproportionate suffering of the Hindu population during the Bangladesh Liberation War. On a visit to Kolkata, India in February 1972, Mujib visited the refugee camps that were still hosting several million Bangladeshi Hindus and appealed to them to return to Bangladesh and to help to rebuild the country.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Nasrin|2014|pp=91–92}}; {{Harvard citation no brackets|Benkin|2014|pp=879–881}}; {{Harvard citation no brackets|Rummel|1998|pp=67–74}}.

Despite the public commitment of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his government to re-establishing secularism and the rights of non-Muslim religious groups, two significant aspects of his rule remain controversial as relates to the conditions of Hindus in Bangladesh.{{Cite book |last=Krishnaswami Aiyangar |first=Sakkottai |author-link=Sakkottai Krishnaswami Aiyangar |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5212194 |title=South India and her Muhammadan invaders |date=1921 |publisher=H. Milford, Oxford University Press |location=London |language=English |oclc=5212194}} The first was his refusal to return the premises of the Ramna Kali Mandir, historically the most important temple in Dhaka, to the religious body that owned the property. This centuries-old Hindu temple was demolished by the Pakistan army during the Bangladesh Liberation War, and around one hundred devotees were murdered. Under the provisions of the Enemy Property Act, it was determined that ownership of the property could not be established as there were no surviving members to claim inherited rights, and the land was handed over to the Dhaka Club.{{Cite news |title=Bangladesh slammed for persecution of Hindus |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2006/nov/02aziz.htm |access-date=2021-02-13 |work=rediff.com |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194927/http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/nov/02aziz.htm |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last=Gupta |first=Jyoti Bhusan Das |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EJuM4FylchwC&pg=PA733 |title=Science, Technology, Imperialism, and War |date=2007 |publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=978-81-317-0851-4 |pages=733 |language=en}}

Secondly, state-authorized confiscation of Hindu owned property under the provisions of the Enemy Property Act was rampant during Mujib's rule, and as per the research conducted by Abul Barkat of Dhaka University, the Awami League party of Sheikh Mujib was the largest beneficiary of Hindu property transfer in the past 35 years of Bangladeshi independence.{{Cite news |title=Discrimination against Bangladeshi Hindus: Report |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2003/aug/09bang.htm |access-date=2021-02-22 |work=rediff.com |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224164759/https://www.rediff.com/news/2003/aug/09bang.htm |url-status=live }} This was enabled considerably because of the particular turmoil and displacement suffered by Bangladeshi Hindus, who bore the disproportionate burnt of the Pakistan army's genocide, as well documented by international publications such as Time magazine and the New York Times, and by the declassified Hamoodur Rahman Commission report. This caused much bitterness among Bangladeshi Hindus, particularly given the public stance of the regime's commitment to secularism and communal harmony.{{Cite book |last=Mujtaba |first=Syed Ali |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AFDVcx-7BCMC&pg=PA100 |title=Soundings on South Asia |date=2005 |publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd |isbn=978-1-932705-40-9 |pages=100 |language=en}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Bandyopadhyay|2004|pp=89–90}}.

President Ziaur Rahman abandoned the constitutional provision for secularism and began to introduce Islamic symbolism in all spheres of national life (such as official seals and the constitutional preamble). Zia brought back the multi-party system thus allowing organizations such as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (an offshoot of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan) to regroup and contest elections. In 1988, President Hussein Mohammed Ershad declared Islam to be the State Religion of Bangladesh. Although the move was protested by students and left-leaning political parties and minority groups, to this date neither the regimes of the BNP or Awami League has challenged this change and it remains in place.{{Cite news |date=8 June 1988 |title=Bangladesh Parliament Votes To Make Islam State Religion |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE5D71530F93BA35755C0A96E948260 |access-date=2013-10-25 |work=The New York Times}}

In 1990, the Ershad regime was widely blamed for negligence (and some human rights analysis allege active participation) in the anti-Hindu riots following the Babri Mosque incident in India, the largest communal disturbances since Bangladesh independence, as a means of diverting attention from the rapidly increasing opposition to his rule.{{Cite web |date=31 October 1990 |title=Primary Report |url=http://www.hrcbm.org/NEWLOOK/1992.html |access-date=2013-10-25 |publisher=Hrcbm.org |archive-date=27 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927111637/http://www.hrcbm.org/NEWLOOK/1992.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=South Asia: Afghanistan |url=http://www.house.gov/international_relations/archives/107/78290f.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061229052501/http://www.internationalrelations.house.gov/archives/107/78290f.pdf |archive-date=2006-12-29 |publisher=United States House Committee on International Relations}} Many Hindu temples, Hindu neighbourhoods and shops were attacked and damaged including, for the first time since 1971, the Dhakeshwari temple. The atrocities were brought to the West's attention by many Bangladeshis, including Taslima Nasrin and her book Lajja which translated into English means "shame".{{Sfn|Nasrin|2014}}

File:Festival of sacred bath (Baruni snan- in Bengali) in Bangladesh.jpg

Immediately after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its Islamic fundamentalist allies came to power in the October 2001 elections, ruling coalition activists attacked Hindus on a large scale in retribution for their perceived support of the opposition Awami League. Hundreds were killed, many were raped, and thousands fled to India.{{Cite news |last=Ramananda Sengupta |date=22 March 2006 |title=The truth about Bangladesh's Hindus |url=http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/22spec.htm?q=tp&file=.htm |access-date=2013-10-25 |work=Rediff.com |archive-date=15 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615203016/http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/22spec.htm?q=tp&file=.htm |url-status=live }} The events were widely seen as a repercussion against the razing of the Babri Mosque in India.{{Cite news |date=19 October 2001 |title=Analysis: Fears of Bangladeshi Hindus |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1609049.stm |access-date=2013-10-25 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=22 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061222230433/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1609049.stm |url-status=live }}

Prominent political leaders frequently fall back on "Hindu bashing" in an attempt to appeal to extremist sentiment and to stir up communal passions. In one of the most notorious utterances of a mainstream Bangladeshi figure, the immediate past Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, while the leader of the opposition in 1996, declared that the country was at risk of hearing "uludhhwani" (a Hindu custom involving women's ululation) from mosques, replacing the azan (Muslim call to prayer) (e.g., see Agence-France Press report of 18 November 1996, "Bangladesh opposition leader accused of hurting religious sentiment").{{Cite web |title=Bangladesh |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51616.htm |access-date=2013-10-25 |publisher=State.gov}}

After the election of 2001, when a right-wing coalition including two Islamist parties (Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and Islami Oikya Jote) led by the pro-Islamic right wing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to power, many minority Hindus and liberal secularist Muslims were attacked by a section of the governing regime. Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus were believed to have fled to neighbouring India{{Cite news |date=15 November 2001 |title=India state warns of Bangladesh refugees |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1657018.stm |access-date=2013-10-25 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=3 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003115657/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1657018.stm |url-status=live }} to escape the violence unleashed by activists sympathetic to the new government. Many Bangladeshi Muslims played an active role in documenting atrocities against Hindus during this period.{{Cite news |date=8 November 2001 |title=Bangladesh Hindu atrocities 'documented' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1645499.stm |access-date=2013-10-25 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=16 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070116111620/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1645499.stm |url-status=live }}

The new government also clamped down on attempts by the media to document alleged atrocities against non-Muslim minorities following the election. Severe pressure was put on newspapers and other media outside of government control through threats of violence and other intimidation. Most prominently, the Muslim journalist and human rights activist Shahriyar Kabir was arrested on charges of treason on his return from India where he had been interviewing Hindu refugees from Bangladesh; this was by the Bangladesh High Court and he was subsequently freed.{{Cite news |date=12 January 2002 |title=Bangladesh scribe arrest 'illegal' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1756064.stm |access-date=2013-10-25 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=5 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105045337/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1756064.stm |url-status=live }}

The fundamentalists and right-wing parties such as the BNP and Jatiya Party often portray Hindus as being sympathetic to India, and transferring economic resources to India, contributing to a widespread perception that Bangladeshi Hindus are disloyal to the state. Also, the right-wing parties claim the Hindus to be backing the Awami League.

As widely documented in international media, Bangladesh authorities have had to increase security to enable Bangladeshi Hindus to worship freely following widespread attacks on places of worship and devotees.{{Cite news |date=8 October 2002 |title=Security fears for Hindu festival |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2310359.stm |access-date=2013-10-25 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=30 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530153654/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2310359.stm |url-status=live }}

After bombings in Bangladesh by the Islamic fundamentalists, the government has taken steps to strengthen the security during various minority celebrations, especially during Durga Puja and Rathayatra.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In October 2006, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom published a report titled 'Policy Focus on Bangladesh,' which said that since its last election, 'Bangladesh has experienced growing violence by religious extremists, intensifying concerns expressed by the country's religious minorities'. The report further stated that Hindus are particularly vulnerable in a period of rising violence and extremism, whether motivated by religious, political or criminal factors, or some combination. The report noted that Hindus had multiple disadvantages against them in Bangladesh, such as perceptions of dual loyalty concerning India and religious beliefs that are not tolerated by the politically dominant Islamic Fundamentalists of the BNP. Violence against Hindus has taken place "in order to encourage them to flee in order to seize their property". The previous reports of the Hindu American Foundation were acknowledged and confirmed by this non-partisan report.{{Cite news |title=Bangladesh slammed for persecution of Hindus |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/nov/02aziz.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194927/http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/nov/02aziz.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=2013-10-25 |work=Rediff.com}}{{Cite web |title=Original USCIRF Report, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom |url=http://www.uscirf.gov/countries/publications/policyfocus/BangladeshPolicyBrief.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928023842/http://www.uscirf.gov/countries/publications/policyfocus/BangladeshPolicyBrief.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2011 |access-date=2013-10-25 |publisher=Uscirf.gov}}

On 2 November 2006, USCIRF criticized Bangladesh for violence against minority Hindus. It also urged the Bush administration to get Dhaka to ensure the protection of religious freedom and minority rights before Bangladesh's next national elections in January 2007.

In 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal indicted several Jamaat members for war crimes against Hindus during the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. In retaliation, violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh was instigated by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.{{Cite web |title=Bangladesh: Wave of violent attacks against Hindu minority |url=http://amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/bangladesh-wave-violent-attacks-against-hindu-minority-2013-03-06#.UTeKDSrYyD8.twitter |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309203359/http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/bangladesh-wave-violent-attacks-against-hindu-minority-2013-03-06#.UTeKDSrYyD8.twitter |archive-date=9 March 2013 |access-date=2013-03-08 |website=Press releases |publisher=Amnesty International}}

BJHM (Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajote) claimed in its report that in 2017, at least 107 people of the Hindu community were killed and 31 fell victims to enforced disappearance 782 Hindus were either forced to leave the country or threatened to leave, and besides this, 23 were forced to get converted into other religions and at least 25 Hindu women and children were raped, while 235 temples and statues were vandalized during the year.

The total number of atrocities happened with the Hindu community in 2017 is 6474.{{Cite news |date=2018-01-06 |title=BJHM: 107 Hindus killed, 31 forcibly disappeared in 2017 |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2018/01/06/bjhm-107-hindus-killed-31-forcibly-disappeared-2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329091215/http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2018/01/06/bjhm-107-hindus-killed-31-forcibly-disappeared-2017 |archive-date=29 March 2019 |access-date=2019-10-30 |work=Dhaka Tribune}}

During the 2019 Bangladesh elections, eight houses belonging to Hindu families on fire in Thakurgaon alone.{{Cite news |date=2018-12-28 |title=Hindu houses under 'arson' attack ahead of Bangladesh elections |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/world/hindu-houses-under-arson-attack-ahead-of-bangladesh-elections-1502720217.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420035916/https://www.thestatesman.com/world/hindu-houses-under-arson-attack-ahead-of-bangladesh-elections-1502720217.html |archive-date=20 April 2019 |access-date=2019-10-30 |work=The Statesman |language=en-US}} In April 2019, two idols of Hindu goddesses, Lakshmi and Saraswati, have been vandalized by unidentified miscreants at a newly constructed temple in Kazipara of Brahmanbaria.{{Cite news |date=2019-04-08 |title=Hindu idols vandalized in Brahmanbaria |url=https://dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2019/04/08/hindu-idols-vandalized-in-brahmanbaria |access-date=2019-10-30 |work=Dhaka Tribune |archive-date=9 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409031337/https://dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2019/04/08/hindu-idols-vandalized-in-brahmanbaria |url-status=live }} In the same month, several idols of Hindu gods in two temples in Madaripur Sadar Upazila which were under construction were desecrated by miscreants.{{Cite news |date=2019-04-26 |title=Hindu idols desecrated in Madaripur |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2019/04/26/hindu-idols-desecrated-in-madaripur |access-date=2019-10-30 |work=Dhaka Tribune |archive-date=2 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502214852/http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2019/04/26/hindu-idols-desecrated-in-madaripur |url-status=live }}

In 2021, many temples and houses of Hindus were broken and vandalized after an attack on them on Narendra Modi visit to Bangladesh by Hefazat-e-Islam and other radical groups as anti-Modi protests.{{Cite web |title=Extremist Islamist group's supporters attack 70-80 Hindu houses in Bangladesh: Police |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/asia/story/extremist-islamist-group-supporters-attack-hindu-houses-bangladesh-1781394-2021-03-20 |access-date=2021-04-22 |website=India Today |date=20 March 2021 |language=en |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422045633/https://www.indiatoday.in/world/asia/story/extremist-islamist-group-supporters-attack-hindu-houses-bangladesh-1781394-2021-03-20 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |title=Bangladesh violence spreads after PM Modi's visit, attacks on Hindu temples, train – Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/bangladesh-violence-spreads-after-pm-modis-visit-attacks-on-hindu-temples-train/articleshow/81738179.cms |access-date=2021-04-22 |work=The Times of India |language=en |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422045638/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/bangladesh-violence-spreads-after-pm-modis-visit-attacks-on-hindu-temples-train/articleshow/81738179.cms |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=2021-03-18 |title=Hardline Hefazat-e-Islam supporters attack Hindu village in Bangladesh: Report |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/hardline-hefazat-e-islam-supporters-attack-hindu-village-in-bangladesh-report-101616007480061.html |access-date=2021-04-22 |work=Hindustan Times |language=en |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422045634/https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/hardline-hefazat-e-islam-supporters-attack-hindu-village-in-bangladesh-report-101616007480061.html |url-status=live }} Similarly, there were attacks on Hindus in 2020, after some of them supported France after the Murder of Samuel Paty.{{Cite news |date=2020-11-02 |title=Hindu homes attacked in Bangladesh over rumours about alleged Facebook post slandering Islam |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/hindu-homes-attacked-in-bangladesh-over-rumours-about-alleged-facebook-post-slandering-islam/article33002960.ece |access-date=2021-04-22 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |agency=PTI |archive-date=14 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314104624/https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/hindu-homes-attacked-in-bangladesh-over-rumours-about-alleged-facebook-post-slandering-islam/article33002960.ece |url-status=live }} In the October of the same year there had been a severe communal violence in Bangladesh against the Bengali Hindus, after the video of Quran desecration at the Durga Puja pandals was spread in which more than 120 Hindu temples were vandalized and 7 Hindus were killed.{{Cite news |date=2021-10-16 |title=Seven dead after violence erupts during Hindu festival in Bangladesh |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/16/four-die-after-violence-erupts-at-hindu-festival-in-bangladesh |access-date=2021-11-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=15 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215102851/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/16/four-die-after-violence-erupts-at-hindu-festival-in-bangladesh |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=2021-10-20 |title=Police: Comilla resident Iqbal placed the Quran on a Puja idol |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2021/10/20/police-man-who-placed-the-quran-on-a-puja-idol-identified |access-date=2021-11-21 |work=Dhaka Tribune |archive-date=20 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020155313/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2021/10/20/police-man-who-placed-the-quran-on-a-puja-idol-identified |url-status=live }} It was described by The New York Times as "worst communal violence in years".{{Cite news |last1=Hasnat |first1=Saif |last2=Mashal |first2=Mujib |date=2021-10-15 |title=Bangladesh Strengthens Security as Violence Targets Hindu Festival |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/15/world/asia/15bangladesh-muslim-hindu-violence.html |access-date=2021-11-21 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=15 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015150005/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/15/world/asia/15bangladesh-muslim-hindu-violence.html |url-status=live }}

{{Main|2024 Bangladesh anti-Hindu violence}}

Following the July Revolution that overthrown Hasina regime in August 2024, Hindu temples, businesses and homes were attacked by mobs upset with how many Hindus in the country were seen as supporting the deposed Hasina's Awami League party, something that was alleged to have upset more conservative Islamist political groups. As of August 8, 2024, a school teacher was reported dead and 45 injured, with 45 out of the country's 64 districts having at least one attack on Hindu individuals or property. Protesters protected Hindu temples and communities from extremists.{{cite web|url=https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/08/06/bangladesh-students-movement-forms-committees-to-protect-hindu-temples-households-amidst-unrest.html|title=Bangladesh students' movement forms committees to protect Hindu temples, households amidst unrest|publisher=The Week|access-date=6 August 2024|archive-date=6 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806130255/https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/08/06/bangladesh-students-movement-forms-committees-to-protect-hindu-temples-households-amidst-unrest.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hindus-bangladesh-try-flee-india-amid-violence-2024-08-08/|title=Hindus in Bangladesh try to flee to India amid violence|publisher=Reuters}}

Because Hindus of Bangladesh are scattered across all areas (except in Narayanganj), they cannot unite politically. However, Hindus became sway voters in various elections. Hindus have usually voted in large mass for Bangladesh Awami League and communist parties, as these are the only parties which have a nominal commitment to secularism.{{Cite web |script-title=bn:বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ এর গঠনতন্ত্র |trans-title=Constitution of Bangladesh Awami League |url=https://www.albd.org/index.php/party/constitution?lang=bn |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729070855/https://www.albd.org/index.php/party/constitution?lang=bn |archive-date=29 July 2017 |access-date=21 November 2016 |language=bn}}

Even after the decline of the Hindu population in Bangladesh from 13.5% in 1974, just after the independence, Hindus were at around 11.2% of the population in 2001 according to government estimates following the census. However, Hindus accounted for only thirty two members of the 300 member parliament following the 2001 elections through direct election; this went up to thirty five following a by-election victory in 2004. Of the 50 seats reserved for women that are directly nominated by the Prime Minister, only four were allotted to a Hindu. The political representation is not at all satisfactory and several Hindu advocacy groups in Bangladesh have demanded a return to a communal electorate system as existed during the Pakistan period, to enable a more equitable and proportionate representation in parliament, or a reserved quota since the persecution of Hindus has continued since 1946.{{Cite web |title=Home – Noakhali Noakhali |url=http://noakhalinoakhali.webs.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411092703/http://noakhalinoakhali.webs.com/ |archive-date=11 April 2012 |access-date=2013-10-25 |publisher=Noakhalinoakhali.webs.com}}

Despite their dwindling population in terms of overall percentage, Hindus still yield considerable influence because of their geographical concentration in certain regions. They form a majority of the electorate in at least two parliamentary constituencies (Khulna-1 and Gopalganj-3) and account for more than 25% in at least another thirty. For this reason, they are often the deciding factor in parliamentary elections where victory margins can be extremely narrow. It is also frequently alleged that this is a prime reason for many Hindus being prevented from voting in elections, either through intimidating actual voters or through exclusion in voter list revisions.{{Cite news |title=Hindu areas in Ctg still out of listing |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2006/01/04/d6010401033.htm |access-date=2016-08-16 |work=The Daily Star |archive-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817145825/http://archive.thedailystar.net/2006/01/04/d6010401033.htm |url-status=dead }}

{{Portal|Hinduism|Bangladesh

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• Hinduism by country
• Bengali Hindus
• Persecution of Hindus

{{reflist}}

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{{refend}}

{{Commons category|Hinduism in Bangladesh}}{{Wikiquote|Hinduism in Bangladesh}}

• {{Cite web |date=17 May 2022 |title=Bangladesh |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bangladesh/ |website=CIA Factbook}}
• {{Cite news |date=22 November 2001 |title=Bangladesh Hindus 'will not go back' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1670410.stm |publisher=BBC News}}
• {{Cite web |title=HAF Report Summary on Bangladeshi Hindus |url=http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org/campaigns_human_rights_hhr2005_executive_summary.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210941/http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org/campaigns_human_rights_hhr2005_executive_summary.htm |archive-date=2007-09-27 |website=HAF}}
• {{Cite web |title=Bangladesh minority report |url=http://www.web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA130062001?open&of=ENG-2S4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060913022017/http://www.web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA130062001?open&of=ENG-2S4 |archive-date=2006-09-13 |publisher=Amnesty International}}

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