A sense of hope was earlier raised among the minority Hindus in Bangladesh that their interests and well-being would be protected by the new regime in Dhaka under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman which took office about five months ago. However, these hopes now seem dashed due to a recent development pertaining to Hindus when the construction of a large statue of the Hindu God Ram in northern Bangladesh has been suspended following days of tension and protests by local Islamic groups, reigniting the debate on religious freedom and the space reserved for minorities in Bangladesh.
The statue was under construction within the Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Kali temple complex in Palashbari, in the district of Gaibandha. According to the organizers, it could have become one of the largest statues dedicated to Ram in Asia, a symbol of the religious and cultural identity of the local Hindu community in this continent, giving immense pride to Hindus all over. However, on June 18, the temple committee suddenly announced the suspension of work apparently because as Bangladeshis, they believed in peaceful coexistence among people of all religions. In order to preserve social harmony, the Hindus decided to temporarily stall the project.
However, this was probably under the pressure of the authorities as well as hardcore Islamic elements who are seen as intolerants and possibly bigots. The decision came following growing mobilization by the Imam Ulama Parishad, an organization bringing together all Muslim religious leaders from the area. In recent days, the group has held demonstrations and human chains along the Dhaka-Rangpur motorway, calling not only for the suspension of work but for the complete removal of the structure. They also tried to build up anti-Hindu public opinion.
The organization’s leaders claim that the project has generated concern, anger and insecurity among the local population and are calling on the authorities to investigate how the initiative is being funded, including the possible supply of funds from abroad. Some representatives have also set a 72-hour ultimatum to obtain clarification, threatening further protests and agitation. The authorities, in the meantime, have stepped up security measures in the most sensitive areas of Palashbari to prevent any communal violence. The issue goes beyond this single construction project.
“It is a very sad situation,” Nirmol Rozario, president of the Bangladesh Christian Association, told media. “We see this pressure as an interference with religious freedom. As minorities, we are deeply concerned.” This statement shows that there is widespread resentment among the Christian minorities as well. Rozario recalled that Bangladesh was founded in 1971 on the principles of secularism and religious pluralism. The Constitution guarantees the right to practise one’s faith. If Hindus are prevented today from building their own places of worship or religious symbols, the same thing could happen tomorrow to Buddhists and Christians.
Meanwhile, work on the statue site has come to a standstill and the future of the project appears uncertain. Temple officials have announced further consultations with representatives of local religious communities before making a final decision. For many residents of Palashbari, however, the priority remains day-to-day peaceful coexistence with different communities. In a related development, Hindu groups warned that if the Ram statue project was not allowed to resume, they would launch a wider campaign to build Ram temples across all 64 districts of Bangladesh.
The latest developments have once again raised concerns about minority rights and religious freedom in the country. This would mean more law-and-order challenges for the authorities in order to handle a delicate communal situation, which should not be allowed to happen lest it spins out of control. Also, it is of interest to note that by an independent estimate, Hindus account for around 8 per cent of Bangladesh’s population. Minority communities continue to report incidents of discrimination, disputes over land ownership and sporadic sectarian violence, particularly in rural areas. The Gaibandha dispute also fits into a regional context marked by growing religious polarization.
Human rights organizations assess that, while formally maintaining the secular nature of the state, Bangladesh continues to grapple with tensions between religious identity, local politics and social dynamics mainly intensified by social media. In the meantime, the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) has published a statistics-based comprehensive document which contains category-wise details of violence, impunity and persecution cases carried out against the Hindu minority in Bangladesh from January to April 2026. This document is significant.
Hindus seem to have been mustering enough courage to co-exist with the majority community and construction of the Ram statue was only an exercise of religious freedom as enshrined in the Constitution and promised by the political leadership of Bangladesh. Any strong measure by the government against minorities will not only hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus, Christians and Buddhists but might also lead to some counterproductive and unpleasant developments which may be difficult for the political and security establishment to address in an effective manner.
(The writer is a retired IPS officer, Adviser NatStrat, and a former National Security Advisor in Mauritius.)