The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) today condemned Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of allowing the Ansarullah Bangla Team, the Bangladesh Army, and the judiciary to target religious minorities across the country.
On 23 October 2025, several Islamist groups, reportedly supported by the interim government led by Dr. Yunus, organized coordinated demonstrations calling for a nationwide ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
During one protest in Dhaka, student demonstrators shouted inflammatory slogans, accusing ISKCON members of being Indian agents and demanding their detention and expulsion from Bangladesh. On the same day, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh issued a press release repeating these allegations and calling for ISKCON’s ban. Similar protests were held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque and Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, further amplifying sectarian rhetoric.
“Disturbingly, Jashimuddin Rahmani, the former leader of the al-Qaeda–linked Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), who was convicted for the murder of blogger Rajib Haider and other terrorism-related offenses, was seen participating in the Baitul Mukarram protest. Rahmani’s re-emergence in extremist rallies underscores the support of Dr. Yunus’s government for radical Islamist elements,” said Suhas Chakma, Director of the RRAG.
In a separate incident, the Bangladesh Army reportedly sought to forcibly occupy land belonging to the Arjya Kirti Buddhist temple in Bormachari, Khagrachari district, on 24 October 2025, to establish a temporary military camp. This followed the killing of three youths by the Army on 28 September 2025 in Guimara, Khagrachari, during a protest against the authorities’ failure to arrest three Muslim settlers accused of gang-raping a 14-year-old girl on 23 September 2025.
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According to RRAG, there is growing public anger over rising sexual violence against indigenous girls, including the gang rape and murder of Chingma Khiyang (29), an indigenous Khiyang woman, at Thanchi, Bandarban on 5 May 2025, and the gang rape of a Tripuri Hindu schoolgirl at Bhaibonchara, Khagrachari in July 2025.
“Religious minorities are facing deepening discrimination across Bangladesh. On 21 October 2025, the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) suspended student Sreeshant Roy for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through his Reddit posts. The following day, the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate sent Mr. Roy to jail under the Cyber Security Ordinance, 2025—illustrating the growing weaponization of the justice system against minorities,” Mr. Chakma added.
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