Dhaka: The government reported on Friday that a total of 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities have been recorded in Bangladesh this year, up to December 8. India has expressed its expectation that Dhaka will take necessary steps to ensure their safety. Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, provided this information in response to a query in Lok Sabha, citing data from minority and human rights organizations. In Pakistan, the reported cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities stood at 112 as of October 2024, the Minister added.   

Year-on-Year Spike in Minority Violence

The corresponding figures for 2022 were 47 in Bangladesh and 241 in Pakistan, while in 2023 the figures were 302 in Bangladesh and 103 in Pakistan, according to the data he shared.

The minister said the Indian government has urged “Pakistan to take steps to prevent religious intolerance, sectarian violence, systemic persecution and attacks on minority communities and ensure their safety, security, and well-being.” He added, “India continues to highlight the plight of minorities in Pakistan at appropriate international fora.” Cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in other neighbouring countries (except Pakistan and Bangladesh) is “nil,” the minister said.

Singh was asked about the total number of cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities reported in neighbouring countries during the last three years, country-wise and year-wise; and the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the ministry to protect minorities, including diplomatic interventions and relief measures.

The Union minister in his response also said the “government has taken serious note of these incidents and shared its concerns with the government of Bangladesh.”

“India’s expectation is that Bangladesh will take all necessary measures to ensure safety and welfare of Hindus and other minorities. The same was also reiterated during the visit of the Foreign Secretary to Bangladesh on December 9, 2024,” he added.

The High Commission of India in Dhaka “continues to monitor the situation” related to the minorities in Bangladesh “closely,” the Minister of State for External Affairs said.

“The primary responsibility for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens, including minorities, rests with the government of the country concerned,” he said.

India, Bangladesh Strained Ties

Ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August.

Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India.

He heads Bangladesh’s interim government as its Chief Advisor.

Relations between the two nations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on the Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.

“Several incidents of desecration and damage to Hindu temples and deities in Bangladesh have been reported in the past few months,” Singh said.

“The government of India has expressed its concerns about such incidents, including the demolition of Jagannath Temple in Bangladesh, attack on a Puja mandap in Tantibazar, Dhaka and the theft at the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira during Durga Puja 2024,” he added.