Hindu Canadian Foundation protests in −23°C against violence targeting religious minorities in Bangladesh

Dozens of Hindu Canadians gathered in freezing temperatures at Mississauga Celebration Square to call attention to what they describe as ongoing violence and discrimination against religious minorities in Bangladesh.The demonstrators braved temperatures as low as −23°C to voice their concerns for Hindus, Christians, Jains, Buddhists and other minority groups in Bangladesh. The protesters urged Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, to take “principled, democratic action” to protect vulnerable communities and hold perpetrators of abuse accountable.“Hindu Canadians gathered today at Mississauga Celebration Square, braving , −23°C temperature, to raise their voices for persecuted religious minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, and others, who continue to face killings, sexual violence, torture, and systemic discrimination,” the Hindu Canadian Foundation (HCF) said in a post on X.

The foundation also called for stronger international attention to what it said are “atrocities” in Bangladesh. “Over the past decade and specially in recent months, a deeply alarming pattern of attacks on Hindu temples, thousands of homes vandalized or burned, and multiple cases of Killings of Hindus. These atrocities demands international attention and accountability,” the post said.HCF is a non‑profit organisation that works to improve coordination among the Hindu community in Canada and to raise awareness of issues affecting Hindus abroad. The protest comes amid multiple reports of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh over recent months. According to media reports and minority rights groups, homes, temples and assets belonging to Hindus were burned in districts such as Chittagong, Raozan, Pirojpur and Sylhet.In one case, 50‑year‑old Hindu businessman Khokon Chandra Das was stabbed and set on fire in Shariatpur District on December 31, 2025, and later died of his injuries.Rights groups have warned that communal violence has intensified ahead of Bangladesh’s February 2026 elections. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported at least 51 attacks on minorities in December, including murders, looting and arson.