Hindu students expelled from Bangladeshi university over allegations of blasphemy

Case ID : f664944 | Location : Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Fri, 21 March, 2025

Case ID : f664944

Bangladesh

21 March, 2025

Hindu students expelled from Bangladeshi university over allegations of blasphemy

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked over 'Blasphemy'

Case Summary

Pabna University of Science and Technology in Bangladesh expelled two Hindu students over allegations of ‘insulting Islam’ and ‘blasphemy.’ The students, identified as Pranay Kundu and Bikarna Das Dibya from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, were first issued a show-cause notice under pressure from Islamist groups. Despite submitting their responses, they were expelled by the university administration. The ordeal began on March 14 when the two had a heated exchange with some Muslims on Facebook. Soon after, radical Muslim students staged protests on campus, demanding their expulsion. Proctor Kamruzzaman Khan defended the decision, claiming their responses were ‘unsatisfactory.’ Meanwhile, the radical Muslims escalated their demands, calling for the expulsion of five more Hindu students—Bidyut Sarkar, Suborna Sarkar, Dipu Biswas, Tanoy Sarkar, and Ankan Ghosh. To pressure the administration, they blocked the university’s main gate and administrative building.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for 'blasphemy'. Blasphemy essentially refers to the desecration of anything which is held sacred/holy to a group of people. However, for religious supremacist groups, the elements of ‘blasphemy’ are ever-changing, shifting and expanding – leading to infringement on the rights of other religious groups, freedom of speech and expression, threats and even physical violence. There are instances where blasphemy is also used as a dog whistle to target Hindus owing to intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. There are several instances where stating truths as mentioned in the non-Hindu doctrine itself has led to unmitigated violence against Hindus. There have also been instances where non-Hindus have themselves created a ‘blasphemous’ situation, like placing a Quran in a temple, to use it as an excuse to attack Hindus. Essentially, Blasphemy charges are often made up and/or are used to shut down any form of criticism of non-Hindu faiths and as a tool to target Hindus. Any physical violence over Blasphemy charges against Hindus are foundationally based on animosity for Hindus and their faith owing to religious supremacist ideologies, therefore, such attacks would be documented as religious motivated hate crimes under this category. This case highlights the misuse of blasphemy laws to target minority Hindus, reflecting deep-seated religious prejudice and intolerance. Pranay Kundu and Bikarna Das Dibya, two Hindu students, were expelled from their university over allegations of ‘insulting Islam’ and ‘blasphemy.’ The lack of proof underscores how these laws can be weaponised as tools of oppression, leading to false accusations, mob violence, and social ostracisation of Hindus. Such cases are common in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, where blasphemy laws are disproportionately applied against minorities. Alarmingly, this trend has extended to India, where Islamist groups exploit these laws to settle personal vendettas and target Hindus for their religious identity. The framing of the Hindu youths in this case exemplifies how religious bigotry drives the abuse of these laws, resulting in systemic persecution and the perpetuation of hatred against Hindus. This incident clearly manifests religious intolerance, justifying its inclusion in the tracker.