MARGINALIZED IN THE LAND OF ORIGINS: A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND LEGAL STATUS OF HINDU MINORITIES IN BANGLADESH (2001–2023)

The Hindu minority of Bangladesh, historically rooted in the region for millennia, today faces deep and multifaceted marginalization despite the nation’s constitutional commitment to secularism and equal citizenship. Constituting nearly 8% of the population, Bangladesh’s Hindu communities have been subject to structural discrimination, periodic violence, political invisibility, and legal dispossession, leading to their steady demographic decline and civic erasure (Datta, 2022; Islam & Kabir, 2021). Although Bangladesh emerged in 1971 with a vision of inclusive nationalism, subsequent constitutional amendments, political volatility, and religious majoritarianism have eroded protections for non-Muslim citizens, particularly Hindus, who are often portrayed as politically expendable or culturally alien (Riaz, 2004; Sarkar, 2012).