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NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Friday again questioned Bangladesh over “recurring attacks on minorities”, and demanded strict action against the perpetrators. It said that the attempts to dismiss such incidents as “personal or political disputes” only “emboldened the perpetrators”. The remarks came as the reported cases of communal violence in December 2025 rose to 51, including 10 murders, according to Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC).“We have repeatedly addressed this issue in earlier briefings and continue to see a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities, their homes, and businesses by extremists in Bangladesh,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.”These communal incidents must be dealt with swiftly and firmly. Attempts to dismiss them as personal or political disputes only embolden perpetrators and deepen fear and insecurity among minorities,” he added. Earlier this week, a 25-year-old Hindu man was killed in northwestern Bangladesh after leaping into a canal while fleeing a mob that had accused him of theft, marking the latest episode of violence against the minority community. Meanwhile, police detained former madrasa teacher Yasin Arafat, the main suspect in the murder of Hindu worker Dipu Chandra Das on December 18.Bangladesh’s Hindu community has faced a wave of attacks on minorities following the December killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Among the victims was 40-year-old grocery shop owner Moni Chakraborty, who was hacked to death by unidentified assailants at Charsindhur Bazar in Palash Upazila on the night of January 5. The same day, Rana Pratap Bairagi, 38, an ice factory owner and acting editor of the Narail-based newspaper Dainik BD Khabar, was shot dead in the head by unknown attackers in Jessore district. In another incident, 50-year-old Khokon Chandra Das was viciously assaulted, hacked and set ablaze while returning home after shutting his shop on December 31. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on January 3.
