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The majority of the incidents of violence against minority communities since August 4 last year were “political in nature” and not “communal,” the Bangladesh government said on Saturday, citing a police report.
The Bangladesh Police have filed a report on the complaint by the country’s Hindu Buddhist Unity Council that had claimed that a total of 2,010 communal attacks had taken place during August 2024 after the departure of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but has argued that “majority” of the cases were “not communally motivated” and had “political” overtones.
Of the reported incidents, 1,769 were described as attacks and vandalism. Police have registered 62 cases based on the claims and arrested at least 35 suspects. The statement clarified: “In the majority of the cases, the attacks were not communally motivated—rather, those were political in nature.
Police investigations found that 1,234 incidents were ‘political in nature,’ only 20 incidents were communal, and at least 161 claims were found to be false or untrue.”
The Council also claimed that 1,452 incidents—82.8% of the total—occurred on August 5, 2024, the day Hasina fled the country. “At least 65 incidents took place on 4 August and 70 incidents on 6 August,” the statement added.
Additionally, police received 134 complaints of communal violence from August 5, 2024 to January 8, 2025. Authorities responded by filing 53 cases and arresting 65 suspects. “In all, since 4 August, a total of 115 cases have been registered over complaints of communal attacks and at least 100 people have been arrested over the cases,” the statement said.
To compile the report, police verified allegations from the Council by visiting the locations, establishments, and individuals mentioned. The press wing reiterated that the interim government maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward communal attacks, ordering arrests of culprits and pledging compensation for victims.
The recent surge in attacks on minorities, including Hindus, temples, and properties, has raised significant concerns in New Delhi. During his visit to Dhaka in December, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri conveyed these concerns to the Bangladeshi authorities. This followed interim government head Yunus’ appeal on December 5 for religious leaders’ assistance in collecting accurate information about attacks on minorities and bringing perpetrators to justice.
In a separate statement, the press wing announced the arrest of the “main accused” in the murder of a 60-year-old Hindu man at a crematorium in Natore district on December 21, 2024. The statement noted that Sabuj Hossain, 24, confessed to the crime along with his accomplices. “The primary investigations suggested the culprits strangulated Tarun Chandra Das as he raised alarm while the culprits stole some bronze plates from the crematorium,” the statement added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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