Hundreds Gather in Washington, D.C. to March Against Genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh
- Coinciding with the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide, the Dec. 9 event was organized by StopHinduGenocide.org, Bangladeshi Diaspora organizations and HinduACTion.
Hundreds of Hindus from the Bangladeshi diaspora gathered in Washington, D.C. today (Dec. 9) to to protest the attacks against the community in Bangladesh. Coinciding with the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide, the “March Against Genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh,” was organized by StopHinduGenocide.org, Bangladeshi Diaspora organizations and HinduACTion.
The march commenced at the Ellipse near the White House and concluded at Capitol Hill, aHinduACTion press release said. Organizers emphasized the need for international intervention to safeguard the rights and dignity of Hindus in Bangladesh. The march sought “to shine a light on this alarming marginalization and called on the global community to take urgent action, said Srikant Akunuri, one of the organizers of the event. According to Utsav Chakrabarti, another organizer, this march is “not just a cry for justice; it is a demand for accountability. He highlighted the urgency of acting now “to protect the lives and freedoms of Hindu minorities before it is too late.”
Protestors called for “global recognition of atrocities faced by Hindus in Bangladesh and demanding action to end their ongoing persecution,” the HinduACTion press release added. Shuvo Roy, one of the protestors called on the Biden-Harris administration “to weigh in on Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, their ally in Bangladesh, to immediately release Chinmaya Krishna Das, the Hindu monk who has been illegally detained and tortured by security forces of the Yunus regime,” HinduACTion said. Another organizer, Milton Chowdhury, demanded that the incoming Trump administration address the issues including “protection of minority rights, de-radicalization of educational curriculum, and demographic preservation.”
According to the organization, the genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh dates back to the 1947 partition of India, “during which widespread violence engulfed the subcontinent.” Hindus in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) “became a targeted minority, facing systemic discrimination, displacement, and large-scale massacres,” the organization explained. “Over the decades, they have endured relentless persecution, including forced migrations and the confiscation of property under discriminatory laws like the Enemy Property Act,” HinduACTion continued. “Despite Bangladesh’s emergence as an independent nation in 1971, Hindus have continued to face violence and discrimination,” the organization added.
Although the Hindu minority “experienced both progress and persistent challenges” under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, “communal violence and systemic discrimination continued to plague Hindu communities,” the press release said. “Recent escalations following Hasina’s departure in 2024—marked by over 2,000 incidents of violence and attacks on 69 temples in August alone — have further underscored the vulnerability of Hindus in Bangladesh. According to HinduACTion data, “Hindus now represent less than 8% of Bangladesh’s population, a sharp decline from approximately 30% in 1947.”