Washington, Dec 29 (NationPress) A prominent international advocacy group, Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), has reached out to members of the United States Congress to highlight the alarming rise in violence and intimidation directed at Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

The organization indicated that the scale of terror unleashed upon minorities since mid-December has been staggering compared to the previous year, which also saw rising violence.

On December 18th, a 27-year-old Hindu garment worker, Dipu Chandra Das, was mob-lynched in Mymensingh following allegations of ‘blasphemy’. His body was publicly hung from a tree, beaten, and set on fire in a gruesome spectacle filmed for public viewing. Subsequent investigations revealed that Bangladeshi authorities found no evidence to support the blasphemy claim. Disturbingly, footage also shows that the police handed Das over to the mob, underscoring the institutional bias against minorities.

The next day in Khulna, a Hindu rickshaw puller, Gobinda Biswas, was publicly assaulted and beaten by a mob that accused him of being an agent of India simply for wearing a red thread on his wrist, a sacred Hindu symbol. This underscores how minority persecution escalates: a mere rumor can incite violence, leading to public killings that instill fear and silence entire communities, making them afraid to step out of their homes or pursue their livelihoods.

CoHNA reported that rampant attacks on local media in Bangladesh have resulted in significant under-reporting of violence against minorities. Since the political turmoil of August 2024 and the instability following the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, several human rights reports have warned of cycles of mob violence, disinformation, and failures to protect Hindu and other minority communities.

The organization noted that Bangladeshi Hindu leaders who attempt to organize or assert their rights are often targeted by the state. This includes the case of prominent Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot, who has been imprisoned since November 25, 2024, on what the group claims are trumped-up charges and has been denied basic rights such as bail.

CoHNA called on members of the US Congress to publicly denounce the lynching and the broader pattern of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Ahmadiyya communities. Furthermore, the organization urged Congress members to pressure the US Department of State to make a clear public call for accountability and minority protection, and to address these issues directly with Dhaka via diplomatic channels. It also appealed to Congressional leaders to demand that Yunus and his interim government take specific, measurable actions to prevent further abuses against minorities throughout Bangladesh.