An increasingly emboldened Bangladesh is crossing all boundaries, encroaching on Indian territory and escalating persecution of its Hindu minority. The recent incident where Bangladeshi forces intervened in the renovation of a Hindu temple in India is a dangerous escalation. India must firmly address these provocations and take decisive action to protect its borders and the rights of Hindus in Bangladesh.
By Navin Upadhyay
India watches with helplessness as an increasingly emboldened Bangladesh crosses all “boundaries,” now even trespassing into the territory of Assam to stop a temple renovation. . The deteriorating plight of the Hindu community in Bangladesh has long been a source of anxiety, yet India has largely remained a silent observer. Despite being home to one of the world’s largest Hindu populations, India has failed to take any significant action in response to the escalating persecution of Hindus across its border.
While the ruling BJP has effectively utilized the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh as a political tool to ignite Hindutva sentiment during elections, the Modi government has been remarkably slow to take concrete diplomatic steps to address the issue. In fact, it took nearly two months for India to dispatch its Foreign Secretary to Dhaka to discuss the escalating attacks on Hindus, a delay that has emboldened the Bangladeshi regime.
This delay in action has not gone unnoticed, and it has emboldened the Bangladeshi regime, which has increasingly targeted Hindu religious leaders and institutions. The latest flashpoint occurred when Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) soldiers crossed into Indian territory in Assam to halt the renovation of a Hindu temple near the Kushiyara River. The BGB soldiers, arriving in a speedboat from Bangladesh’s Jakiganj point, intervened in the temple restoration work in Assam’s Sribhumi district. Local workers were stopped, threatened, and warned to cease their work, with the BGB claiming that the temple’s visibility from across the river would offend Bangladeshi Muslims.
(BGB jawans trespasses into Assam and stop temple renovation)
The situation escalated until the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) arrived and confronted the BGB personnel. A commandant-level flag meeting between BSF and BGB officials was held, where the Indian side clarified that the renovation was of an existing temple and had no political implications. After the discussions, the BSF granted permission for the restoration work to continue, but the incident starkly highlighted the growing tension along the border and the increasing encroachment by Bangladesh on Indian affairs.
The underlying issue is not merely the encroachment on Indian territory, but the larger and deeply concerning trend of persecution faced by Hindus in Bangladesh, which is being largely ignored by India’s leadership. The ruling regime in Bangladesh has become increasingly hostile towards the Hindu community, with radical Islamist groups emboldened and the government turning a blind eye to their actions. Hindu temples have been attacked, religious leaders harassed, and the rights of the minority community systematically trampled. Even as Bangladesh faces mounting internal unrest, with student uprisings and a growing Islamist influence, the Hindu community continues to bear the brunt of the violence and discrimination.
India, which shares profound cultural, religious, and historical ties with Bangladesh, has a clear responsibility to protect the interests of its co-religionists across the border. Yet, despite these deep connections, the Indian government has been remarkably slow to act, often prioritizing diplomatic relations with Bangladesh over the well-being of the Hindu minority there. The Modi government’s failure to act decisively reflects a larger issue of international politics and the complex relationship between India and Bangladesh, but it also underscores the profound vulnerability of Hindus in the region.
This inaction has allowed Bangladesh to escalate its persecution of Hindus, and the latest intrusion by BGB personnel serves as a stark reminder of the growing religious intolerance within Bangladesh. The rationale given by the BGB for halting the renovation—the claim that the sight of a Hindu temple could provoke violence among Muslims in Bangladesh—reveals the degree of radicalization that has taken root within the country’s border forces. The very notion that the presence of a Hindu temple in India could offend Bangladeshis is a dangerous manifestation of the rising Islamic supremacism in the region.
Despite the immediate resolution of the situation by the BSF, the incident marks a dangerous precedent where Bangladesh feels empowered to take actions on Indian soil, and Indian authorities have been unable or unwilling to take a more forceful stance to prevent it. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that India shares a long and porous border with Bangladesh, making such incursions both possible and difficult to prevent.
The silence from the Indian government is compounded by its lack of substantial action to protect Hindu minorities in Bangladesh or to exert pressure on the Bangladeshi government to safeguard the rights of its minorities. The failure to confront Bangladesh diplomatically or to take stronger action has left many questioning India’s priorities in its foreign policy. The BJP’s failure to take decisive action to safeguard Hindus in Bangladesh casts serious doubt on its commitment to protecting the rights of the Hindu community beyond India’s borders.
The situation also highlights the shifting geopolitical dynamics in the region, with Bangladesh drifting further away from its secular roots and embracing more conservative Islamist ideologies. This shift has contributed to a significant rise in religious violence against Hindus and other minorities, putting the country’s secular fabric at grave risk. As Bangladesh becomes increasingly radicalized, the safety and well-being of Hindus there become even more precarious.
India, a country with a large and vibrant Hindu population, cannot continue to watch as a mute spectator while Hindus in Bangladesh face persecution. It must take a more proactive role in advocating for the protection of religious minorities in neighboring countries, especially when the cultural and religious ties between the two nations are so strong. Until India begins to take a firmer stance on the situation, the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh will remain unresolved, and the influence of radical groups will continue to grow, putting the future of religious harmony in the region at grave risk.
