Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh have increased in recent months, triggering concern amid reports of targeted violence against minority communities. Even as the country was grappling with the murder of Deepu Chandradas, another Hindu youth was allegedly beaten to death by villagers in a separate incident. These developments come ahead of the general elections scheduled to be held in Bangladesh on February 12 next year.
In a significant political development, Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote and a practicing advocate, has announced that he will contest the elections as an independent candidate from the Gopalganj-3 constituency. The seat was represented by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from 2009 to 2024 and fell vacant after she resigned and left the country following last year’s unrest. Pramanik is expected to file his nomination on December 28 and has stated that he is not affiliated with any political party, arguing that party-backed legislators have failed to effectively raise public issues.
The Gopalganj-3 constituency is expected to witness a multi-cornered contest, with candidates including SM Jilani of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and Ariful Dariya of the National Citizen Party (NCP), among others. Following Sheikh Hasina’s exit, the Yunus-led government came to power, after which attacks by radical groups on minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Sufis, and Ahmadiyya Muslims, have reportedly increased. Minority communities are said to be living in fear amid the rising violence. Meanwhile, the Yunus government has imposed a ban on Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League and has officially confirmed that the party will not contest the upcoming elections.