British-Iranian journalist Sahar Zand has documented the plight of the Hindu community, who are left at the mercy of the violent Muslim mobs in Bangladesh since the undemocratic ouster of Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister.
The radio documentary was released on Friday (10th January). Through the 26-minute-long documentary, Zand punctured the attempts made by the Muhammad Yunus regime to downplay attacks on the Hindu community.
As part of the project, she took the help of two local Hindu activists Bonamali and Sukanto. The young journalist first visited a Hindu-majority village (name withheld) where mobs burnt down the storehouse of a Hindu family.

She witnessed the horror first-hand and described the sight as ‘gut-wrenching.’ Zand saw a charred barn, collapsed roof and scorched straw and crops.
“No one was injured but for the barn’s owner (a paddy farmer), the loss is catastrophic. (It has) wiped out over a year’s income…The owner, blackened from fighting the fire, is still in shock and too afraid to speak on the record,” she was heard saying.
The young journalist was taken aback by the arson attack and the subsequent destruction. She learnt that the Hindu victims often do not speak up for fear of retaliation.
7-9 cases of attacks per week in Northern Bangladesh: Hindu activist
Bonamali told Sahar Zand that attacks on the Hindu community take place daily, accounting for up to 8-9 cases each week in Northern Bangladesh alone. “These include rape, extortion, the destruction of homes and temples, and even murders,” the journalist stated.
One of the Hindu activists informed, “Most of the people are thinking about leaving the country and they have already packed their important things. They are prepared, ready to leave this country. This is the plan of every Hindu in Bangladesh.”
“We are feeling like there’s nothing left in this country for us. That’s why lots of people go to the border and try to leave this country,” he continued.
Hindus of Bangladesh tried to flee to India
Sukanta told Sahar Zand that many Hindus tried to swim to India following the fall of Dhaka. However, they had to return due to tight patrol on the border.
The young journalist learnt about the story of 14-year-old Hindu boy Jayanta, who was killed by Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) while trying to escape to India. Jayanta had learnt about attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh through Facebook posts.
“When he said goodbye, I thought he was going to come back in a couple of hours. But he never came back. A few days later, I heard that my son was no more. That he got shot at the border,” the victim’s ailing mother told Sahar Zand.
Bonamali and Sukanta informed the British-Iranian journalist that stories like Jayanta’s are common.
Sahar Zand interviews radical Islamic cleric
Sahar Zand added, “In recent years, Bangladesh has seen a rise in Islamist extremism. While many condemn the attacks against minorities, some Islamist leaders stand accused of inciting violence on Hindus, deepening communal tensions.”
At about 10 minutes into the radio documentary, she was heard speaking to a radical Islamic cleric by the name of Mahmudul Hasan Gunovi. He is a member of the extremist ‘Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh’ group.
Zand noted, “Released on bail just before Hasina’s government fell, his fiery rhetorics have reportedly fuelled anti-Hindu sentiments, sparking widespread concern over his growing influence.”
Mahmudul Hasan Gunovi had claimed innocence when confronted about his arrests for inciting violence against Hindus. The radical Islamic cleric also spewed vitriol against RSS and ISKCON, accusing them of conspiring to turn Bangladesh into a ‘Hindu land.’
He tried to rationalise his provocative speeches and sermons by claiming that they were directed towards ‘Hindu extremists’ and not ‘regular Hindus.’
During the documentary, Mahmudul Hasan Gunovi was then confronted about his inciteful Facebook posts, wherein he claimed that Hindus would undoubtedly conspire against Muslims.
He then justified lynchings in the garb of blasphemy and rationalised his celebration over a Hindu youth being almost killed by a violent Muslim mob.
“A mob actually delivered justice by killing a person who insulted our Prophet…People would just know that this is the law of Islam. If somebody insults the Prophet, he is killable,” the Islamic cleric was heard saying.
Bonamali and Sukanta pointed out that his inflammatory rhetoric and that of other clerics have contributed to the spike in anti-Hindu attacks.
One of the activists highlighted how the demonisation of ‘idol worship’ is resulting in extremists breaking Hindu idols kept within temple premises.
President of Hindu crematorium narrates ordeal
The British-Iranian journalist visited a Shiva temple, which was destroyed by extremists. “The one sacred site now lies in ruins,” Sahar Zand noted.
She met Shankar Rai, the President of Satida Hindu crematorium in Pirganj. He informed, “On 6th August, a big mob came in. There were over 100 of them. And the people, they broke all the buildings here”
Rai narrated, “They were really organised and we weren’t expecting them. So, we couldn’t do anything. We were really afraid and we didn’t have the power to stop them. Only Muslims came here. They want us to go away so they can take over our land.”
“It is because we are born Hindus. That’s why we’re facing this ordeal right now,” he emphasised.
Crematorium converted into make-shift mosque, Sahar Zand comes under attack
Sahar Zand learnt about a Hindu crematorium in Thakurgaon district, which was destroyed by Muslim mobs and re-purposed as a mosque.
“In place of the Hindu crematorium, now stands a small mosque. Its newly built tin roof and brick walls, a stark replacement. Outside, a handful of men linger in conversation. One of them unmistakably dressed as an imam,” she noted.
Soon, a Muslim mob attacked her local producer. “Suddenly, Saqib (local producer) is being punched and kicked as he scrambles back towards the car. We try to escape but it’s too late,” Sahar Zand narrated.
Minutes later, her car was attacked. “Bricks are jammed under our tyres and our car keys are snatched away, along with our phones. We’re stranded. Trapped, we sit frozen inside the car, watching in horror,” she reminisced.
Zand continued, “Some spit against the windows. My heart pounds, and then a chilling silence falls over the crowd. We see a group of men, captured. One word cuts through the murmurs. Gasoline. After about three hours of being in the car, they were shaking our car, they were screaming, until the police arrived and they let us go.”
The British-Iranian journalist noted that law enforcement authorities were slower when mobs were attacking the Hindu community.
Despite this, Hindu activists Bonamala and Sukanta are reluctant to leave Bangladesh and are willing to fight for the community on their own.
Attack on Hindus in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina
OpIndia has been vetting and reporting cases of atrocities on Hindus since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on 5th August 2024.
There have been at least 205 attacks on Hindu temples, shops and businesses within 3 days of the fall of Dhaka.
We previously exposed how Muslim students have forced as many as 60 Hindu teachers, professors and government officials to resign from their positions.
Human rights activist and exiled Bangladeshi blogger, Asad Noor, has recently revealed that the minority community is now being coerced into joining ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’.
On 6th September, a procession of Hindu devotees carrying the idol of Lord Ganesha came under attack in the Kadam Mubarak area in Chittagong city of Bangladesh.
Ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations, a radical Muslim man named Yasin Mia vandalised the idols of Goddess Durga and other Hindu deities in Gouripur town in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh on 25th September.
In the latest series of attacks, idols of Goddess Durga and other Hindu deities were vandalised at the Rishipara Barwari Puja Mandap and the Manikadi Palpara Barwari Pujamandap on 28th September and 1st October respectively.
The attacks were carried out in Sujanagar upazila in Pabna district in Rajshahi Division of Bangladesh. While a total of 4 idols were defaced at the Rishipara Barwari Puja Mandap, another 5 Hindu idols were destroyed at the Manikadi Palpara Barwari Pujamandap.
On 3rd October, 7 idols of Hindu deities were destroyed at the Gopinath Jiur Akhara Durga Puja mandap in Kishoreganj, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh.
On 5th November, the Hindu community came under attack from police and law enforcement authorities in Hazari Goli in Chittagong city of Bangladesh.
On 29th November, a violent Muslim mob attacked Hindu minorities and vandalised 3 temples in Patharghata in Chittagong district of Bangladesh.
The Hindu religious sites that the Muslims targeted included the Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, the Shoni Temple, and Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple. The attack took place immediately after the conclusion of Jumma Namaz.
On 30th November, a prominent Hindu journalist named Munni Saha was arrested by the police from Karwan Bazar in Dhaka city of Bangladesh.
A group of extremists attacked the Mahashmashan Kali Mata Mandir, vandalised 7 idols of deities and stole gold ornaments on 13th December 2024.
On 19th December, a Muslim man identified as Alal Uddin vandalised an idol at the Polashkanda Kali Temple and then attempted to create a fake alibi. The incident occurred in Haluaghat upazila in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh.
Another 37-year-old Muslim man identified as Azharul vandalised several idols of deities in Haluaghat Upazila in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh.
The recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu and his aides, attempts at banning Hindu organisation ISKCON and stiffling Hindu protests with cases of ‘sedition’ highlight systematic persecution under the interim government of Muhammad Yunus.
There have been multiple instances of attacks on Hindus under the pretext of ‘blasphemy.’ The recent cases of Hridoy Pal, Utsab Mandal, Partha Biswas Pintu, Akash Das, Pranta Talukder and Utsab Kumar Gian are shining examples of targeted persecution.
So far, there have been many attempts to downplay violence against Hindus as ‘fake‘, ‘exaggerated‘ or ‘politically motivated‘.