Bangladesh Polls: Secularism at Stake Amid Rising Anti-Hindu Violence

• Escalating violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, including gruesome killings and sexual assaults, marks a critical period ahead of the February 2026 elections.
• Incidents like Deepu Das's lynching and a Hindu widow's gang-rape highlight a pattern of unchecked communal aggression, often under false blasphemy accusations.
• Bangladesh's Hindu population has drastically declined, facing an "existential crisis" due to persecution, emigration, and institutional bias.
• The interim government under Muhammad Yunus, formed after Sheikh Hasina's ousting, has seen over 2,442 incidents of violence against minorities, with critics alleging a push towards Islamisation.
• The upcoming elections are seen as a referendum on Bangladesh's religious identity, with fundamentalist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam seeking to formalize Sharia-based policies.

Why It Matters: Bangladesh faces a critical election, threatening its secular identity amid escalating violence against Hindus and a push for Islamisation.