Most incidents involving minorities in 2025 were non-communal: B’desh

Dhaka: The majority of incidents involving members of minority communities in Bangladesh during 2025 were “criminal in nature” and not driven by communal motives, the interim government said on Monday.

The statement came days after India, on January 9, pressed Dhaka to “swiftly and firmly” deal with attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and described as “troubling” the attempts to attribute the incidents to extraneous reasons.

New Delhi’s reaction had come against the backdrop of the killing of several Hindu individuals in Bangladesh in the last few weeks.

Citing a yearlong review of official police records, the statement issued by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ office said a total of 645 incidents involving minority communities were recorded between January and December 2025 across Bangladesh.

“While every incident is a matter of concern, the data presents a clear and evidence-based picture: the overwhelming majority of cases were criminal in nature rather than communal,” it said.

According to the statement, of the 645 incidents, 71 were identified as having communal elements.

These included 38 cases of temple vandalism, eight of arson, one of theft, one murder and 23 other incidents such as threats to break idols, provocative social media posts and damage to worship pavilions.

Police cases were filed in 50 of these incidents, and arrests were made in an equal number, while other preventive or investigative measures were taken in 21 cases, th

statement said.