For minorities, Bangladesh’s election is a litmus test of security

‘Pranto Das Gupta, a 22-year-old from Bangladesh’s minority Hindu community, is preparing to cast his first vote in the upcoming national elections. Living in Dhaka, around 300 km from his ancestral village in Satkania, Chattogram, Mr. Gupta plans to travel home to vote with his family on February 12, as the country heads into its first election since the dramatic fall of Sheikh Hasina in an uprising in August 2024.

For the first-time voter, the lofty promises in party manifestos from trillion-dollar economies to constitutional reform ring hollow against the lived reality of arson, vandalism and intimidation.

“We don’t want clashes. We don’t want promises. All we ask for is safety,” Mr. Gupta said. “People in my village will go to the polling centres and vote for whoever they think can ensure their safety.”

This plea for basic security has emerged as the overwhelming, non-partisan demand of religious minorities, who make up roughly 10% of the population, as campaign rallies intensify and polling day draws closer.

According to a recent report by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), at least 56 targeted attacks on minority communities were recorded in the 17 months leading up to the election. These incidents included the desecration of temples, vandalism of homes, and physical assaults, leaving one person dead and 27 injured. Transparency International Bangladesh reported more than 50 such attacks in 2025, while Ain-e-Salish Kendra documented 42 incidents.

The Chief Adviser’s Office, however, has offered a different assessment. It said that of the 645 incidents involving minority community members recorded in 2025, only 71 were communal in nature, while the remaining cases were linked to general criminal activity.

Despite the official reassurances, fear remains pervasive. “Only a few people from our community are involved in politics,” said Raghupati Sen, a trustee of a local ashram in Old Dhaka’s Tikatuli area. “Politicians come asking for votes, but who comes to protect our homes and temples when attacks happen?”

“For us,” he added, “the election is not about who wins. It is about whether we will lose whatever security we still have.”

This election cycle has been especially tense. While clashes between the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami dominate headlines, minorities describe a quieter but persistent anxiety. Major political blocs have made rhetorical overtures; the BNP’s manifesto promises minority protection, while the Jamaat-e-Islami alliance speaks of building a “humane Bangladesh.” Yet critics said that these parties, now locked in fierce rivalry, have also histories where communal rhetoric has been weaponised, and their ground-level activists were often implicated in localised intimidation.

Following the August 2024 uprising, organised mobs targeted Hindu neighbourhoods in several parts of the country. The community has long been perceived as supportive of the Awami League, which projected itself as secular but faced criticism for failing to prevent attacks on minorities during its tenure. The Awami League has been barred from contesting this election, yet minority voters say their participation remains important. This correspondent spoke to more than a dozen voters from minority communities, all of whom said they intended to vote.

“Minorities have always been victims of violence in Bangladesh,” said Abhi Chowdhury Partho, a college teacher in Dhaka. “Even during Sheikh Hasina’s rule, we saw attacks during festivals. Fear did not disappear then, and it has not disappeared now.”

He said this persistent insecurity is shaping voting behaviour. In many minority-dominated areas, there is discussion of “strategic voting” choosing candidates perceived as less likely to provoke violence rather than those offering ambitious promises.

The authorities plan to deploy a vast security apparatus, with nearly 9 lac personnel, including more than 1 lac members of the armed forces, guarding polling centres between February 8 and 14. But Mr. Partho questioned whether protection would extend beyond polling day. “Who will stand guard on February 14, or the week after, if someone wants to retaliate for how we voted?” he asked.

A recent report by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) said communal violence remains ongoing. Based on data collected up to January 27, 2026, the council recorded 42 incidents, including murder, sexual violence, attacks on temples and churches, looting of homes and businesses, and land grabbing.

Monindra Kumar Nath, Acting General Secretary of BHBCUC, said fear continues to dominate minority communities’ psyche as the 13th parliamentary election approaches. “Across the country, religious and ethnic minorities, especially women and young people, are living in constant anxiety,” he said.

Last week, the council placed eight demands before the authorities, urging the Election Commission (EC) to ensure a level playing field and a secure environment so minority voters and candidates can participate without obstruction.

However, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud on February 6 called on members of minority communities to go to polling centres without fear. He said the EC had made full security arrangements for them, and all preparations are in place to hold a free and fair election.

In total, 79 candidates from religious and ethnic minority communities are contesting the election, 67 party nominees and 12 independents. The Communist Party of Bangladesh has fielded the highest number (17), followed by the BNP with six, while Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated a minority candidate for the first time. Ten of the candidates are women.

The number of minority candidates remains unchanged from 2018 and is slightly lower than the 81 recorded in 2024. Hindus make up nearly 8% of Bangladesh’s population, with Christians, Buddhists, and other minorities accounting for smaller shares.

Published – February 07, 2026 09:53 pm IST