On March 16, the administration of Pabna University expelled two Hindu students, Pranay Kundu and Bikarna Das Dibya, from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. The expulsion followed accusations of ‘blasphemy’ and ‘insulting Islam’ after the two students had a heated Facebook argument with Muslim individuals. Despite the students filing their responses to a show-cause notice, the university, under pressure, expelled them.
The trouble began on March 14, when Kundu and Dibya were engaged in an online argument with Muslims, which eventually led to protests by Muslim students at the university demanding the expulsion of the Hindu students. Proctor Kamruzzaman Khan defended the university’s decision, stating that the students’ responses were ‘unsatisfactory.’
Meanwhile, Muslim radicals began targeting other Hindu students, including Bidyut Sarkar, Suborna Sarkar, Dipu Biswas, Tanoy Sarkar, and Ankan Ghosh, demanding their expulsion as well. To intensify pressure on the administration, the radicals blocked the main gate and the administrative building of the university.
This event is part of a larger pattern of violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, often linked to accusations of blasphemy. Earlier in February 2025, a Hindu man named Supta Saha Anik was targeted by a Muslim mob after being accused of making objectionable remarks about Islam. The mob, organized by the radical groups ‘Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh’ and ‘Tawhidi Janata,’ called for his immediate arrest.
In January 2025, a Hindu man named Pranta Talukder was abducted and tortured over blasphemy accusations in Chittagong city. Similarly, in December 2024, Muslim mobs attacked 130 Hindu homes and 20 temples after accusations of blasphemy were made against a young Hindu boy named Akash Das.
In October 2024, a Muslim mob laid siege to Kadirdi Degree College in the Faridpur district, demanding the expulsion of a Hindu boy, Hridoy Pal, over blasphemy charges. Further, in September 2024, a Hindu boy named Utsab Mandal narrowly escaped lynching by a Muslim mob in Khulna city for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad.
Tensions continued to rise in May 2024 when a Hindu student named Utsab Kumar Gian was attacked by a Muslim mob at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University over blasphemy accusations.
The rise of blasphemy-related violence has led to calls for stricter punishments for those accused of offending religious sentiments. A two-judge bench of the Bangladesh High Court recently recommended that the maximum punishment for blasphemy be increased to life imprisonment or the death penalty, along with non-bailable charges. At present, the maximum punishment under the blasphemy law in Bangladesh is two years of imprisonment and a fine of 5 lakh Taka. The court expressed concern about offenders evading the law and emphasised the need for appropriate action to address the growing trend of blasphemy-related violence in the country.
