RSS Annual Meet Calls for Global Support to Hindus in Bangladesh

The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) 2025 of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has expressed grave concern over the persistent violence, injustice, and persecution faced by Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh. The RSS termed the situation a serious case of human rights violations and called for global solidarity to address the crisis.

Addressing the media on the resolutions passed during the three-day ABPS session (March 21-23, 2025) at Janaseva Vidya Kendra, Bengaluru, RSS Sah Sarkaryavah Arun Kumar highlighted the escalating attacks on Hindu temples, monasteries, Durga Puja pandals, and educational institutions. Reports of desecration of deities, killings, looting, abductions, and forced conversions during Bangladesh's recent regime change have raised alarm, he said.

The event was attended by senior RSS functionaries, including Sunil Ambekar, RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh, along with Karnataka Uttar & Dakshin Prachar Pramukh Aroon Kumar, Kshetra Prachar Pramukh Aayush Nadimpalli, and Akhil Bharatiya Sah Prachar Pramukhs Pradip Joshi and Narendra Kumar.

Kumar pointed to the sharp decline in Bangladesh’s Hindu population—from 22% in 1951 to a mere 7.95% today—as an indicator of the crisis. He criticized the Bangladesh government’s passive response to targeted violence against Hindus, particularly among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and rejected attempts to downplay the incidents as mere political conflicts.

The RSS resolution also warned against the growing anti-Bharat rhetoric in Bangladesh, emphasizing how communal tensions threaten historical ties between the two nations. Kumar cautioned against interference from international elements, including Pakistan and other destabilizing forces, seeking to fuel unrest in the region.

Despite severe persecution, Bangladesh’s Hindu community has demonstrated resilience in its pursuit of justice and religious freedom, Kumar noted. He underscored the moral and psychological support extended by Hindus in Bharat and across the world. The Union government of Bharat has also engaged in diplomatic efforts, raising the issue at multiple international forums. The ABPS resolution called upon global organizations, including the United Nations, to pressurize Bangladesh to take decisive action against the violence.

Kumar further elaborated on the RSS’s focus on organizational expansion and social impact over the past century. He highlighted the Sangh’s presence in 134 premier institutions and its commitment to reaching all institutions across Bharat. The RSS operates extensively in remote tribal areas, with 1,031 shakhas functioning in the Janjati (tribal) regions of Koraput and Bolangir in Odisha, run by volunteers from local communities.

The organization, he said, works through consultation and consensus, conducting thousands of meetings with societal stakeholders. On women’s empowerment, Kumar revealed that last year alone, the RSS engaged with 1.5 lakh individuals and organized 472 women-centric summits, witnessing participation from 5.75 lakh women. As part of the 300th birth anniversary celebrations of Lokmata Ahilya Devi Holkar, 22,000 events were held nationwide to recognize her contributions.

Citing an example from Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district, Kumar mentioned the RSS’s initiatives to support differently-abled children by providing medical aid and livelihood opportunities. He clarified that the expansion of the Sangh’s work is not merely about increasing numerical strength but about strengthening societal values and fostering positive change.

On the issue of linguistic conflicts in border regions, Kumar stressed that all languages are equal and must not be used as a tool for division. "We are one people, one nation—this is our uniqueness. Food, region, and language should unite, not divide us," he stated.

The ABPS 2025 resolutions reaffirmed the RSS’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights, dignity, and religious freedom of Hindus in Bangladesh and urged immediate global intervention to address this humanitarian crisis.