Dhaka, Bangladesh – In a deeply troubling trend, Bangladesh’s minority youth are being systematically targeted through hacked social media accounts and subsequent arrests under the Digital Security Act (DSA), often without any forensic examination. Instead of investigating the real perpetrators, law enforcement has increasingly detained Hindu youth under blasphemy allegations. Rights groups, including the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), warn that these actions camouflage a far more sinister agenda of religious persecution.
The Digital Security Act, designed to regulate online activities, is increasingly being weaponized to suppress minority voices. In these cases, extremists hack Facebook accounts of Hindu youth, post inflammatory content, and falsely implicate them in blasphemy, igniting public outrage. Law enforcement often uses these posts as grounds for detention, framing it as “protection from mob justice.” However, many believe this is merely a pretext to sideline minority youth under false charges.
One of the most disturbing incidents involved Utsav Mondal, a 17-year-old boy from Bangladesh’s minority community. In a horrifying scene, Utsav was nearly lynched by an angry mob while police and army officials stood by. Although the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) claimed that Utsav is alive, HRCBM has received no confirmation of his current status or condition, and authorities have refused to present him publicly.
Today, HRCBM learned of yet another similar case involving Ridhay Paul, a young Hindu boy from Bhimpur, Goshpur, Buwalmari, Faridpur. According to HRCBM sources, Ridhay’s Facebook account was hacked, and while he was detained, inflammatory posts were made from his account under police watch. Police subsequently deleted his account and released him, only for him to be later apprehended by the Bangladesh Army. Disturbing footage shows him being blindfolded, his hands and legs bound, and brutally beaten before being thrown into a military vehicle.
Ridhay, a first-year HSC student, now faces severe implications from this ordeal. This pattern of targeting minority youth under the Digital Security Act reflects an increasingly hostile environment for minorities in Bangladesh. The government’s inaction against hate speech targeting minorities stands in sharp contrast to the swift detentions under blasphemy charges against minority individuals. This blatant disparity in enforcement continues to instill fear and alienation among Bangladesh’s minority communities.
The culture of impunity surrounding these cases and the protection of extremists has had a devastating impact on Bangladesh’s social fabric. With rising hostility, Bangladesh’s minorities face an uncertain future as global silence deepens their isolation.
For more details on Utsav Mondal’s tragic case, read the full account on HRCBM’s website here.
