Locked Doors & Lowered Voices: How Fear Shadows Bangladesh’s Hindu Voters Ahead Of Polls

Last Updated:February 11, 2026, 19:27 IST

For an administration that seeks to maintain global ties and economic stability, winning the trust of its minorities is the ultimate litmus test

More than two and a half months have passed since Moni Chakraborty was brutally murdered inside his Charsindhur Bazar shop located in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi district in the dead of night. But for his family, the clock has stopped. In their small home, the air is thick with the scent of unwashed grief. Moni’s mother clings to his photograph, her hands trembling with a pain that has found no closure; the culprit remains at large, a ghost in a legal system that seems to have looked the other way.

Disappointment has long since evicted hope from this household. Moni’s widow, now the sole breadwinner, spends her days conducting private tuitions, a desperate effort to ensure their only son’s education remains on track. But it is the fear that is most pervasive. “I am scared," his mother whispers, her eyes darting toward the door. “We are told to lock ourselves in. In Narsingdi, where we live, there have been three murders in the last month alone. Tomorrow, it could be us."

The Shadow Over Shakharibazar

The anxiety in Narsingdi is a microcosm of a larger, systemic dread. According to intelligence inputs, at least ten areas in Dhaka—primarily minority-dominated pockets—are flashing red on the security radar ahead of the February 12 polls.

News18 visited Shakharibazar, a historic lane lined with shops selling puja items and shakha pola (the traditional conch and coral bangles of married Hindu women). Here, the silence is eerie, yet deafening. When our camera approaches, people melt away into the shadows of narrow alleys. Those who remain speak only in guarded whispers.

“We are scared," Jyoti Das told News18, his voice barely audible. “Jamaat threatens us, but we cannot vote for them. At most, we will go to the booth and cast NOTA. We are stuck between a rock and a hard place."

The Jamaat’s Crisis of Acceptability

The public rhetoric from certain Jamaat-e-Islami cadres—warning minorities to “vote right or face action"—has created a climate of terror that the party’s leadership is now frantically trying to manage. Speaking with News18, former Diplomatic Affairs Minister Barrister Fakrul Aslam dismissed the allegations. “It is wrong to say we are threatening Hindus. We do not practice the politics of majority versus minority," he claimed.

The apprehension within the Jamaat is palpable. Facing a severe crisis of global and domestic acceptability, the group is attempting a desperate outreach. In some constituencies, it has gone as far as fielding Hindu candidates to project an image of inclusivity. However, on the ground, these gestures are viewed as mere “tokenism" against a backdrop of intimidation.

Too Little, Too Late?

The Muhammad Yunus administration has faced scathing criticism for its perceived inability—or unwillingness—to halt the tide of attacks on minorities. In what is being seen as a last-minute attempt at damage control, the interim government recently announced the gift of a mud house for the family of Dipu Chandra Das, another victim of recent violence.

But for the 8% Hindu population of Bangladesh, a house made of mud is a fragile shield against a storm of radicalism. For an administration that seeks to maintain global ties and economic stability, winning the trust of its minorities is the ultimate litmus test. As things stand, the “shakha pola" of Shakharibazar represent more than just tradition; they have become symbols of a community holding its breath, waiting to see if the state will protect them or leave them to the mercy of the mob.

News world Locked Doors & Lowered Voices: How Fear Shadows Bangladesh’s Hindu Voters Ahead Of Polls

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