New Bangladesh leader vows to protect minorities
Dhaka’s former interim administration was accused of not protecting Hindus during recent political turmoil
Bangladesh’s new prime minister has vowed to protect minorities in the country, listing the task as among the top priorities of the newly elected government.
In his first televised address as prime minister, Tarique Rahman said on Wednesday that his administration will strengthen the rule of law in the South Asian nation.
“We want to turn this country into a safe land for every citizen. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians – regardless of party, opinion, religion, or ethnicity – whether living in the hills or the plains, this country belongs to all of us,” he said.
Rahman’s Bangladesh National Party (BNP) won a two-thirds majority in the general election on February 12, in the first polls after a violent uprising in 2024 that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The interim administration led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus drew flak for presiding over a wave of attacks on the country’s Hindus and other religious minorities.
“Whether you voted for BNP, or did not vote for BNP, or did not vote at all – everyone has equal rights over this government... As a Bangladeshi, every one of us has equal rights in this country, in this state,” Rahman said on Wednesday.
Rights group Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) has claimed that in January 2026 alone, 21 incidents of lynching and 28 incidents of mob beatings occurred in the country, according to a PTI report.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has reported 522 communal attacks in 2025, including the murders of 116 people of minority faiths, mostly Hindus, between June 2025 and January 2026.
In January, India withdrew the families of diplomats posted in Bangladesh as a precautionary measure and increased security for diplomatic missions amid reported attacks on minorities.
In December, New Delhi urged Bangladesh’s interim government to protect minorities amid the escalating unrest in Dhaka following the killing of a political activist.