Bangladesh Hindu Body Tells EC Community Unsafe To Vote, Seeks Special Security, Separate Booths

Last Updated:January 13, 2026, 10:48 IST

Representatives of the Sabha of Dhakeshwari Mandir, the largest Hindu body in the country, met election officials to raise serious concerns about the safety of Hindu voters.

Amid Killings, Bangladesh Hindu Body Says Community Too Unsafe to Vote

A leading Hindu organisation in Bangladesh has told the Election Commission (EC) that Hindus do not feel safe enough to vote under current conditions. Representatives of the Sabha of Dhakeshwari Mandir, the largest Hindu body in the country, met election officials to raise serious concerns about the safety of Hindu voters.

The group said Hindus should be given additional security if they are expected to take part in elections. It also asked for separate polling booths with special arrangements to ensure safe voting. The demand comes amid a series of violent attacks and killings of Hindus across Bangladesh.

Call for special security and separate booths

During the meeting with the Election Commission, the Hindu organisation said fear among the community was growing. It stressed that many Hindus were reluctant to vote because of threats and repeated attacks.

The body urged the authorities to put in place strong security measures, especially in areas where violence against minorities has been reported. It said separate booths could help reduce fear and prevent attacks during voting.

Bangladesh’s parliamentary election is scheduled for February 12 this year.

Fresh killing in Chittagong

The appeal to the EC follows another killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh. On Sunday evening, 28-year-old Samir Das was beaten and stabbed to death in Daganbhuiyan in the Chittagong region. Das worked as an auto driver.

According to journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a group of attackers thrashed and stabbed him before fleeing the scene with his battery-operated auto-rickshaw. Samir Das was the eldest son of Kartik Kumar Das and Rina Rani Das.

Series of attacks on Hindus

This killing is the latest in a series of attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Violence increased after protests erupted following the death of July uprising organiser Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore.

Prolay Chaki, a musician and cultural affairs secretary of the Awami League’s Pabna district unit, died in prison on Sunday night after reportedly suffering a heart attack. He had been arrested in a case linked to an alleged attack on the anti-discrimination student movement. Supporters of the Awami League claimed the charges were false.

Last week, a Hindu man identified as Joy Mahapatro was allegedly beaten and later poisoned by a local Muslim named Amirul Islam.

Mob violence and lynchings

Several other incidents have been reported in recent days. A 25-year-old Hindu man, Mithun Sarkar, died after jumping into a canal while trying to escape a mob that accused him of theft.

In Jessore district, Rana Pratap Bairagi, a Hindu businessman and acting newspaper editor, was shot dead on Monday. On the same day, a Hindu grocery shop owner, Sarat Mani Chakraborty, also died.

In another incident, a Hindu woman was allegedly gang-raped, tied to a tree, and had her hair cut off. Earlier, Dipu Chandra Das was lynched and burnt to death over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh. Amrit Mondal was lynched over extortion allegations, while Bajendra Biswas, a Hindu garment factory worker, was shot dead in the same region.

News world Bangladesh Hindu Body Tells EC Community Unsafe To Vote, Seeks Special Security, Separate Booths

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