Bangladesh: Islamist Party calls protest over India’s Waqf Act amid rising attacks on minorities at home

Dhaka/New Delhi: Bangladesh’s far-right Islamist political outfit, Khelafat Majlish, is set to stage a mass march and submit a memorandum to the Indian Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday, demanding the repeal of the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act by the Indian Parliament.

According to local media reports, Khelafat Majlish chief Maulana Mamunul Haque claimed that Muslim-owned lands in India were being encroached upon, alleging that properties governed by Islamic endowments (Waqf) were being illegally acquired to build various structures, including temples.

In a provocative statement, Haque accused India of giving legal backing to these alleged actions through the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

“We have already expressed our anger and condemnation of these steps. Muslims across India erupted in protest against the Bill. This Bill basically interferes with the religious laws and rights of Muslims,” he said.

Haque further urged the global Muslim community to raise its voice against what he called the “killing of Muslims by the Indian state and interference in their religious matters.”

The announcement of the protest comes at a time when Bangladesh itself is under scrutiny over a spate of violent attacks against minority communities, including Hindus and Christians, especially in the aftermath of the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

India has strongly condemned recent acts of violence in Bangladesh, particularly the abduction and murder of Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a well-known Hindu community leader in northern Bangladesh.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the incident as part of a disturbing pattern of minority persecution under the country’s interim administration.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in a post on X, said, “We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh. This killing follows a pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities under the interim government, even as the perpetrators of previous such events roam with impunity.”

“We condemn this incident and once again remind the interim government to live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities, including Hindus, without inventing excuses or making distinctions,” he added.

India has previously voiced similar concerns regarding rising attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh, but Roy’s murder has drawn particular attention due to his prominence in the Hindu community.

The Indian government’s response is being seen as a clear signal that it will not remain silent on the issue of minority rights in the neighbouring country.

The Khelafat Majlish protest plan, viewed in India as a politically motivated move, has triggered responses from analysts and officials who suggest it is an attempt to divert attention from the internal human rights issues plaguing Bangladesh, particularly those targeting vulnerable minority populations.

IANS