Exchange of views with journalists in London : Call to play responsible role in ensuring security of minorities after elections

At a meeting with journalists in London
A call to play a responsible role in ensuring the security of religious minorities after the elections.
Concerns about the safety of religious minority communities are growing in Bangladesh ahead of the upcoming national elections.
According to reports from international and local human rights organizations, there has been a consistent trend of targeted attacks, intimidation, and displacement against the Hindu community, indicating a serious risk of post-election communal violence.
Community leaders expressed concern about post-election violence and the safety of minorities in an exchange of views with journalists in London on Tuesday (February 10, 2026) at the London Bangla Press Club in East London, organized by the ‘Forum for Secular Bangladesh’.
The exchange of views called on the Bangladesh government, all political parties, and social, cultural, and civil society organizations to play a responsible role in ensuring the security of religious minorities in Bangladesh in the run-up to and after the upcoming national elections.
The discussion meeting, chaired by Forum for Secular Bangladesh President Syed Enamul Islam and moderated by Shah Mustafizur Rahman Belal, was addressed by Secular Bangladesh Movement Councilor Pushpita Gupta, Bangladesh Hindu Association President Prashant Dutta, JSD Advocate Mujibul Haque Moni, Jagannathpur Times Editor Professor Shajidur Rahman, ABC Bangla News Editor Abdul Bashir, Channel NRB UK Editor A Rahman Oli, Syeda Naznin Sultana Shikha, Sanatan Association’s Robin Pal, Dr. Hasnin Chowdhury, Hindu Society’s Haradhan Bhowmik and Swaroop Shyam Chowdhury, online activists Sushanta Das Gupta, Shahab Uddin Ahmed Bachchu, Joydeep Roy, and others.The panelists said that concerns about the safety of religious minorities are growing in Bangladesh ahead of the upcoming national elections. According to reports from international and local human rights organizations, there is a continuous trend of targeted attacks, intimidation and displacement against the Hindu community, which leads to post-election communal violence, and therefore, the administration and politicians, and all concerned, seek for foresight and advance awareness.
The organization also recommended preventing violence,
1. The head of government and the head of the army must publicly acknowledge that there will be no arbitrary repression.
2. BGB police and RAB should be deployed in vulnerable minority areas for 15 days after the election.
3. The main rival political parties should publicly declare that, regardless of victory or defeat, minorities will not be blamed and no violence will be committed.
4. Patriotic socio-cultural and civil society organizations should build small security bastions in vulnerable areas.