By Shreyash Sharma
A Pew Research Center study reveals that the Hindu population in Pakistan reduced from 20% in 1947 to 3% in 2016 and by some metrics it’s less than 2% right now, in Bangladesh it declined from 23% in 1971 to 9% in 2023 (today, this figure has dwindled to less than 8%, despite the nation’s overall population more than doubling during the same period); and in Afghanistan it shockingly fell from 700,000 in 1970s to 0 Hindus today.
In the subcontinent, if we take a look at the Muslim population in India, it grew from 35 million in 1951 to over 172 million in 2011, which is a 4 times increase. This stark contrast in demographic trends paints a troubling picture, one that is conspicuously ignored by global human rights watchdogs and Western media. Why is the world silent about the steady erosion of Hindu populations in the subcontinent? As Bangladesh and its minorities face a watershed moment, the deafening silence of prominent Western media houses is nothing short of diabolical. These are the same outlets that flood the global discourse with editorials and analyses, putting the world on high alert over even isolated incidents of violence against minorities in India.
Since 2013, over 3,600 documented attacks have targeted Hindus, as reported by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a Bangladeshi human rights group. These attacks include the vandalism and arson of over 550 homes and 440 businesses, alongside the desecration of more than 1,670 temples and places of worship.
The recent developments following the exile of Sheikh Hasina lay bare the grim reality of Bangladesh’s so-called secularism, exposing its fragile foundation and the systemic persecution of its minority communities. What started ostensibly as a student protest soon turned into arson and targeted violence against the Hindus of Bangladesh.
According to data put forward by The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance, within 4 days of Hasina’s exodus, in as many as 278 locations across 48 districts incidents of violence and threats to leave the country have been repeatedly inflicted on the Hindu community. The involvement of Taliban ideology inspired Jamaat-e-Islami in targeted attacks against Hindus is an open secret, and yet the Noble Laureate Yunus led interim government calls all of these visuals an ‘industrial scale misinformation campaign’ by Indian media.
While the world’s self-anointed watchdogs rush to spotlight human rights violations in politically convenient regions, their indifference to the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh underscores a disturbing double standard.
After the recent spate of unrest, brutal arrest of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, temples have been attacked, and devotees have been harassed, beaten, or worse, islamist mobs could be heard saying “we’ll behead every ISKCONite” as they rally around streets.
These incidents are not isolated but part of a broader pattern of systemic persecution. What has come as a surprise is the negation and denial of suffering of the Hindu community by the western media. There has been a calculated dismissal of these developments calling them fake or fabricated or collateral damage and even an overreaction.
A BBC headline says, “the far-right videos distorting the truth of Bangladesh minority attacks”; and Al Jazeera went ahead claiming “misleading reports of attack on Bangladesh Hindus circulates in India” are “Islamophobic, alarmist”. Following the trend, France 24, shared a video on their Facebook page with the caption, “according to regional experts, Hindus are not specifically attacked because of their religion, but because of their political affiliation”. Another report by Deutsche Welle (DW), claims, “violent anti-government protests in Bangladesh have fueled many false claims of attacks against the nation’s Hindu minority”. Similarly, the New York Times calls violence against Hindus in Bangladesh “revenge attacks”. They quickly changed the title of the editorial after uproar. This prompts a critical question: what motivates such distorted journalism and the deliberate downplaying of Hindu suffering? This hypocrisy isn’t just unethical—it’s dangerous.
This silence has broader geopolitical implications. It enables regimes that allow such persecution to flourish under the radar. It also feeds into the growing narrative of Western hypocrisy, where moral grandstanding on human rights is weaponized selectively, often to serve political interests rather than genuine concern for humanity. It also compels one to reconsider the largely floated theory about involvement of the CIA in abrupt regime change in Bangladesh with the Biden administration hailing Muhammad Yunus as the ideal administrator.
The silence of international human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch is equally troubling. These groups often lead so called global campaigns against oppression but seem uninterested when the victims are Hindus in South Asia. In fact, some of these organizations have gone so far as to downplay these incidents, labeling them as “localized disputes” or “political conflicts” or “revolution”. Their muted response is perplexing, especially when the persecution involves widespread violence, desecration of temples, and even systematic displacement of minorities.
Their reluctance to engage with the atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh suggests a glaring double standard. Why are these watchdogs hesitant to address the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh? Is it because such cases do not align with the narratives they seek to perpetuate? Or is it a calculated decision driven by the fear of being labeled Islamophobic, even if it means turning a blind eye to the suffering of an entire community?
It would not be an overstatement to draw parallels with Germany in 1938. The state-sponsored pogrom, systematic persecution, and open calls for genocide of Hindus and other minority groups, in broad daylight, are the reality of Bangladesh. The numbers are not just statistics; they are stories of pain, loss, and a community continually pushed to the brink of survival. The legacy of persecution that Hindus have faced over centuries is not a relic of the past—it is a grim reality that persists to this day.
In closing, I just want to ask ourselves: how many more generations will have to endure this legacy of suffering before we, as a global community, take a stand? And more importantly ask if this is the new normal–facts buried, suffering ignored? The global community needs to know that this is not history, it’s happening now. Hindus are under attack, and the world needs to wake up.
Contributing Author: Shreyash Sharma is a research assistant at the Department of Public and International Affairs in City University of Hong Kong (CityU).
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