In the months following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure in August 2024, Bangladesh has experienced a troubling decline. Initial student-led protests against a controversial job quota system have escalated into an era marked by violence against religious minorities and ethnic communities. Between August 2024 and late 2025, there have been over 2,400 documented incidents of violence, highlighting the systematic erosion of legal protections for vulnerable populations. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which initially promised human rights reforms and democratic accountability, has instead overseen what international observers describe as systematic persecution enabled by institutional neglect and the collapse of law enforcement.

When Sheikh Hasina’s government fell on 5 August 2024 after five weeks of escalating anti-government demonstrations, it followed Bangladesh’s historical pattern of political turbulence. What set this transition apart was the immediate, widespread, and apparently coordinated attacks against minority communities perceived as supporters of the fallen government.

According to data from the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and human rights monitoring organisations, between 4 and 20 August, a total of 2,010 incidents of communal violence were recorded across 68 districts and metropolitan areas. These targeted attacks resulted in at least 230 deaths during this initial phase, with the overall death toll from the broader July-August unrest exceeding 600 persons.

The destruction of religious sites was particularly evident, with at least 69 temples, churches, and other places of worship damaged through vandalism and arson during the August violence. Religious objects central to devotional practice, such as idols and sacred implements, were systematically targeted for theft and destruction.

In Khulna Division, the highest percentage of attacks was concentrated. Over 230 Hindu homes and businesses were destroyed across the division’s districts, with the town of Mohanpur in Narsingdi District experiencing coordinated simultaneous attacks on 25 houses and the central temple on 5 August alone. The Bejpara neighbourhood of Jessore, where approximately 200 Hindu families reside, faced sustained assault beginning the evening of Hasina’s departure, with documentation of systematic looting and arson over multiple days.

The initial violence also resulted in documented sexual assaults targeting minority women. At least four instances of sexual assault, including gang rape, were perpetrated during the August violence, highlighting the vulnerability and systematic violation........

© News18