Bangladesh’s religious minorities today stand on the brink of a terrifying existential crisis. Since July 2024—after a carefully orchestrated wave of violence, backed by foreign funding, assisted by Islamist militant groups, and supported by sections of the military, which overthrew the country’s elected government through a coup and seized power—the persecution of minorities has reached a horrific scale. Under the illegal system of rule established jointly by usurious moneylender Yunus and his allies in the war-criminal BNP–Jamaat coalition, members of the Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian communities are facing murder, arson, rape, and forced eviction on a daily basis.
The words of Nirmal Biswas and Shiuli Biswas from Abhaynagar in Jashore reveal just how dire the situation for minorities has become. Their homes have been burned down, their security stripped away, and now they stand utterly helpless. They have no answers to the most basic questions: which party to vote for in order to survive, or whom to turn to for protection. This is the true face of Yunus’s so-called democratic rule.
The history of the BNP and Jamaat is steeped in the persecution of minorities. The brutal atrocities committed against minorities after the 2001 election remain fresh in public memory. That same force has returned to power—this time even more recklessly. Since August 5, minorities have been attacked in more than 2,500 incidents. In Bhaluka, Dipu Chandra was beaten and burned alive; homes were set on fire in Raozan; Hindu business owners are being murdered one after another. All of this is happening right under Yunus’s nose, yet there is no action, no justice.
The real objective of this illegal government and its patronized BNP–Jamaat alliance is now clear: they want to turn Bangladesh into a country without minorities. The preview they are showing before the election makes it evident what kind of hell minority lives could become after the vote. In a country where a person can be beaten and burned to death without any evidence, speaking of democracy is nothing short of absurd.
It is no longer a secret that Yunus and his army-backed government operate with foreign money. The July violence was a carefully planned conspiracy in which Islamist militant groups were used to achieve political goals. Now those same forces have launched a campaign to eradicate the country’s minority communities. The state machinery remains silent, law enforcement is inactive, and Yunus is busy consolidating his grip on power.
A country where minorities are afraid to express their opinions, cannot openly state their political beliefs, and must take turns guarding their homes at night just to survive has no right to call itself democratic. Yunus’s illegal government and the BNP–Jamaat alliance together are planning to transform Bangladesh into a fundamentalist, communal state. The farce being staged in the name of an election is, in reality, pushing minorities toward yet another catastrophe.
The words of Shiuli Biswas from Abhaynagar in Jashore must be remembered. She said, “We have become like a ball—wherever we go, we are kicked.” In that single sentence lies the condition of minorities in today’s Bangladesh. Under the rule of Yunus and his war-criminal associates, minorities have become like a football, kicked around to serve political interests.
The BNP–Jamaat alliance speaks of democracy in words, but on the ground they are carrying out a campaign of minority eradication. Even before the election, they have shown what they are capable of: setting homes on fire, burning people alive, killing business owners—all are part of their strategy. If they come to full power after the vote, one can only imagine the horrific fate that may await minorities.
Yunus’s illegal government, the war-criminal leadership of BNP–Jamaat, and this military-backed regime are steering Bangladesh toward a dark future. There is no security for minorities, no justice, no basic human rights. The drama being staged in the name of an election is ultimately aimed at making minorities even more helpless and insecure.