Religious Minorities Face Hate, False Claims in India and Bangladesh
Hate crimes, misinformation, and propaganda surged across India and Bangladesh, from attacks on Christians and Muslims to fake communal claims, exposing how disinformation aimed at communal tensions.
গত অক্টোবরেও ভারত ও বাংলাদেশজুড়ে ঘৃণা, সহিংসতা ও ভুয়া খবরের প্রবাহ থামেনি। ইনসাইটার অক্টোবরের প্রতিবেদনে প্রতীয়মান হয়, সাম্প্রদায়িক সম্প্রীতিকে আঘাত করতেই ধর্মীয় সংখ্যালঘুদের লক্ষ্য করে চলছে হামলা, বিদ্বেষমূলক মন্তব্য ও মিথ্যা প্রচারণা। তবে কি এই তথ্যযুদ্ধ দুই দেশের শান্তিপূর্ণ সহাবস্থানকেই প্রশ্নবিদ্ধ করছে?
In October 2025, at least eleven incidents of hate speech, violence, and misinformation targeting religious minorities were found in India and Bangladesh.
In India, incidents included denial of Christian burial rights, mob vandalism, arrests of two journalists, and hate remarks by top leaders like Amit Shah, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, and Pushkar Singh Dhami. A Muslim girl was also attacked after her remarks on cow slaughter went viral.
In Bangladesh, several misleading claims circulated online, including reports alleging the murder of a Hindu policewoman, madrasa students chanting anti-Hindu slogans, and Dr. Muhammad Yunus presenting a “Greater Bangladesh” flag. Another widely shared video, purportedly showing a Hindu youth killed by Muslims, was later verified to have originated in Nepal.
This Insighta report highlights how hate, misinformation, and propaganda in October were used to fuel communal division and damage peaceful relations between religious communities in both countries.
Christians Stripped of Burial Rights in India’s Chhattisgarh
October 5: Over 400 villagers from 22 villages in India’s Chhattisgarh gathered to oppose Christian practices, deciding to deny Christians access to burial land over concerns about rising conversions, according to a report.
The gathering also discussed church demolitions and excluding Christians from forest land. Chhattisgarh now ranks second in India for Christian persecution, with Kanker becoming a hotspot for rising anti-Christian actions.
Hindutva Mob Vandalizes Muslim Locality in India’s Cuttack After Communal Clashes
October 6: Around 6,000 Hindutva men, many wearing saffron shawls and wielding bamboo sticks, stormed Dargah Bazaar, a Muslim-majority area, vandalizing shops, vehicles, and public property, reports local media.
The violence followed tensions from an October 4 Durga idol immersion. Locals alleged that during the procession, DJ music was blasted near a Dargah and lewd comments were made toward a Muslim girl. Confrontations escalated after some participants allegedly urinated on the Dargah walls.
Journalists Booked After Reporting Doctor’s Denial to Treat Muslim Woman
October 7: Two journalists, Mayank Srivastava and Mohammed Usman, were booked after reporting claims that a doctor at a women’s hospital in Jaunpur refused to treat a pregnant Muslim woman due to her religion.
The woman, Shama Parveen, alleged the doctor told her, “I will not treat a Muslim woman,” and denied her entry to the operating room. The claim went viral via video.
Hospital authorities denied the accusation and alleged the journalists entered the labour room and filmed her without permission, leading to police cases against them.
Amit Shah Links Rise in Muslim Population to “Large-Scale Infiltration”
October 10: Union Home Minister of India Amit Shah claimed that the increase in India’s Muslim population was not due to fertility rates but because of “large-scale infiltration.”
Speaking at a lecture titled “Infiltration, Demographic Change and Democracy” organized by Dainik Jagran, Shah said that the Muslim population in the country had “increased at a rate of 24.6%, while the Hindu population had decreased by 4.5%.”
False Claims of Communal Motive in Sirajganj Murder Debunked
October 11: False claims were circulated on social media suggesting that the murder of Anna Rani, a village police officer in Sirajganj, was a communal attack because she was Hindu. Accounts like Voice of Hindu and news portal Bangladesh Insight alleged the killing was part of a wider “wave of communal persecution” in Bangladesh.
However, police confirmed the murder had no communal motive. The accused, Tapas Das, also a Hindu, confessed under Section 164 to killing Anna Rani after she rejected his immoral advances.
BJP Leader Urges Hindu Youths to Kidnap Muslim Girls, Offer Jobs
October 16: BJP’s former MLA and Hindu Yuva Vahini State In-charge Raghvendra Pratap Singh urged Hindu men to kidnap at least 10 Muslim girls, promising them food, jobs, and marriage support as rewards.
The remarks were made during a public rally in Dumariyaganj, Siddharth Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
“Jo leke aayega, usko naukri, roji roti bhi dilayange (Whosoever brings them, they would be given a job and their livelihood would be taken care of),” Singh was heard saying.
Uttarakhand CM Targets Muslims as “Land Jihadis” Vows Crackdown on Madrasas and Conversions
October 18: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami claimed his government had reclaimed over 9,000 acres of land from what he called “land jihadis” during a speech at a BJP office inauguration in Roorkee.
Dhami said that over 250 illegal madrasas had been sealed, 500+ illegal structures demolished, and efforts were ongoing. He warned against occupying land by “placing green, blue, or red sheets over it.”
He also announced ‘Operation Kalanemi’, aimed at identifying imposters posing as Hindu seers to “defame Sanatan Dharma.” In addition, the government plans to abolish the Uttarakhand Madrasa Board under the Minority Education Act.
False Claims of Anti-Hindu Slogans by Madrasa Students in Bangladesh
October 22: A video circulating on social media claiming that students of Hathazari Madrasa in Chattogram were chanting slogans against Hindus in India.
According to a fact-check, the madrasa shown in the viral clip was not Hathazari Madrasa, and that the video had been digitally altered by adding a false audio track.
The visuals were traced back to a February 2022 video from a madrasa in Noakhali, originally shared by a Facebook account named ‘Nobodigonto’ on February 8, 2022.
Indian Media Misreports “Greater Bangladesh” Flag Gift
October 27: Several Indian outlets, including India Today, incorrectly reported that Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, had gifted Pakistan’s General Sahir Shamshad Mirza a flag depicting Bangladesh merged with India’s Northeast region.
In reality, Dr. Yunus presented The Art of Triumph, a graffiti-based art book created by students during the July 2024 Uprising and published by the July Memorial Foundation. The book’s cover features a blood-red graffiti map of Bangladesh behind Shaheed Abu Sayed, a martyr of the uprising, not an altered map.
Independent fact-checks confirmed that the artwork accurately represents Bangladesh’s actual map and that the circulating claims were baseless. Dr. Yunus had previously presented the same book to the UN Secretary-General, U.S. President Joe Biden, and other world leaders.
Hindutva Groups Assault Muslim Girl, Harass Mother For Beef Remark
October 27: A 17-year-old Muslim girl was attacked, and her mother harassed by Hindutva groups in Tulsi Niketan, Ghaziabad, after the girl’s comments about slaughtering cows went viral on social media, reports media.
According to the media report, in a YouTube interview, the girl said she would eat beef after slaughtering cows, which quickly spread online, sparking outrage.
The Hindu Raksha Dal, a Hindutva outfit, accused her of making offensive statements about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, further fueling online anger.
Soon after, a mob led by local Hindutva activists gathered outside her home, shouting abuses and threatening her mother, creating a climate of fear and intimidation in the area.
Hindu Youth Beaten to Death by Muslims in Bangladesh Found False
October 28: A viral video claimed that a young Hindu man linked to ISKCON was beaten to death by Muslims in Bangladesh. Fact-checks show this claim is completely false. The video is actually from Nepal, not Bangladesh.
It shows a protest related to the Gen-Z movement that took place in September 2025. A longer version of the same video was posted on the Facebook pageGen Z Nepal on September 9, with the caption describing the man being beaten as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) who had allegedly ordered police firing on protesters the previous day.
About the Author:
Mohammed Raihan is a staff contributor to the Insighta. He writes on history, culture, language, economy and geopolitics, uncovering untold narratives that connect the past and present. He can be reached at mohammed_raihan@theinsighta.com
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Insighta’s editorial stance. However, any errors in the stated facts or figures may be corrected if supported by verifiable evidence. | A guest post by
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