Scattered reports of attacks against Hindus across Bangladesh emerged on Monday following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Unverified videos circulating on social media depicted places of worship belonging to minority communities engulfed in flames.
On Sunday, reports indicated that an ISKCON temple and a Kali temple in Bangladesh had been targeted by demonstrators, along with homes belonging to Hindu residents. Hindu councillor Haradhan Roy from the Rangpur City Corporation was reported to be among the casualties on Sunday.
Sheikh Hasina, who had led Bangladesh since 2009, fled the country on Monday, arriving in India. Following her departure, protesters stormed her official residence, Gono Bhaban, in Dhaka.
Supporters of Hasina and members of her party, the Awami League, also faced attacks from protesters. Reports indicated that individuals were being asked to show their identity cards and their vehicles were searched to ensure they were not affiliated with the government.
This violence echoed events from 2021, when protests erupted across Bangladesh after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. Numerous Hindu temples were attacked, and at least 11 protesters were killed in clashes with law enforcement, according to reports. Islamist groups accused Modi of discriminating against Muslims in India and took to the streets in response to his visit. Hasina has been criticized by various groups in Bangladesh for her close ties with India.
During Modi’s 2021 visit, he offered prayers at the centuries-old Jeshoreshwari temple and announced plans for a multipurpose community hall for worshippers.
The recent protests that led to Hasina's resignation began in June 2024, sparked by the Bangladesh High Court's reinstatement of a 30 per cent job quota for families of veterans from the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. On July 15, violence erupted across the country after Hasina referred to the protesting students as “Razakars”—a term with deep historical connotations. The violence persisted until July 21, when the Supreme Court ordered that 93 per cent of government jobs be filled on merit, with the remaining seven per cent reserved for veterans’ families, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
By that time, at least 200 people had been killed, and thousands were detained by law enforcement agencies. The Internet was shut down, and authorities were given shoot-on-sight orders. The demonstrations resumed on Friday, eventually leading to demands for Hasina’s resignation.
On Sunday, nearly another 100 people were killed, prompting the government to impose a curfew and declare a general public holiday from Monday to Wednesday. However, by Monday afternoon, Hasina had left the country, and Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that steps were being taken to form an interim government.
