Monday 04 / August / 2025
New Delhi: The fall of Sheikh Hasina's government in August 2024 has unleashed a dangerous wave of extremist activities across Bangladesh, creating significant security challenges not only for the nation itself but for the entire South Asian region.
Began as student-led protests against the quota system has evolved into a systematic campaign that has emboldened radical Islamist groups, facilitated external terrorist involvement, and triggered widespread attacks on religious minorities.
Since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took power on August 8, 2024, Bangladesh has witnessed an unprecedented consolidation of radical forces. The interim government, formed under the aegis of the Bangladesh Army and various Islamic radical elements, has systematically undermined the foundational values of the Bangladeshi state.
In January 2025, proposals emerged to remove "secularism" and "socialism" from Bangladesh's Constitution, while textbooks have been updated to downplay Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's role in the 1971 independence movement.
The most concerning development has been the deliberate release of convicted terrorists and reversal of war crime convictions. In August 2024, the government released Mufti Jashimuddin Rahmani, leader of the banned extremist organization Ansarullah Bangla Team, who had been convicted in multiple terrorism-related cases.
In May 2025, the death sentence of A.T.M. Azharul Islam from Jamaat-e-Islami was overturned, despite his 2014 conviction for war crimes committed during the 1971 independence war. The release of 'Killer Abbas' and other top gangsters further demonstrates the government's complicity in empowering criminal elements.
Previously banned organizations now operate with unprecedented freedom. The banned organization Hizb ut-Tahrir held a public rally in Dhaka in March 2025, demanding the establishment of an Islamic caliphate. Hefazat-e-Islam organized a massive demonstration in April 2025, opposing the government's proposed reforms on women's rights, while making a 12-point declaration for an Islamic state in May 2025. Charmonai Pir's Party has openly advocated for Sharia-based governance and changing Bangladesh's name to "Bangladesh Jonokollan Rastro."
Perhaps most alarming is the documented involvement of foreign intelligence agencies in Bangladesh's radicalization process. Bangladesh has moved closer to some countries since the regime change, resuming direct trade for the first time since 1971. A Bangladeshi military delegation led by Lt Gen SM Kamrul Hasan traveled to Pakistan in January 2025, meeting top military leaders including Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir.
Most critically, Bangladesh allowed a delegation from Pakistan, led by Major General Shahid Amir Afsar, to visit sensitive areas near the Indian border in January 2025. This represents a significant security breach, and pose direct threats to regional stability. Indian security agencies have indicated that terrorist outfits like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and HuJI are exploiting the regime change to revive their connections with Bangladesh-based radical and terror groups.
The resurgence of Al-Qaeda-linked Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami-Bangladesh (HuJI-B), dormant for around a decade, has been facilitated by this external support. The group has penetrated Hefazat-e-Islam, and several Qawmi madrassas are now pro-HuJI. Golam Sarowar Rahat, the second-in-command of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was recently sighted with interim government head Mohammad Yunus during a visit to the alleged secret detention center Aynaghar in Dhaka.
Extremist groups are increasingly using online platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to spread violent ideologies, recruit members, and coordinate activities. This digital dimension of terrorism presents new challenges for law enforcement agencies, particularly as radical content remains easily accessible online and the radicalization process continues unabated among urban and educated youth.
The most visible manifestation of rising extremism has been the systematic targeting of religious minorities. The Bangladesh Hindu Bouddho Christian Oikyo Parishad documented 2,184 violent incidents targeting minority communities between August 4 and December 31, 2024, followed by an additional 258 incidents in the first six months of 2025, bringing the total to 2,442 incidents of violence against minorities.
The statistics paint a grim picture. Out of the incidents in 2025 alone, there were 20 cases of rape, 59 attacks on places of worship, and 12 attacks on indigenous communities. The majority of attacks, over 1,000, occurred between August 4-20, 2024, suggesting this was not spontaneous violence but a deliberately orchestrated campaign to instill fear and drive minorities from their homes.
The interim government's response has been wholly inadequate. Despite mounting evidence, officials continue to describe communal violence as "politically motivated" rather than acknowledging its religious nature. The government adopted a strategy of describing communal violence as "concocted lies," only acknowledging attacks on minorities on December 10, 2024, after growing public pressure. Even then, only 70 individuals were arrested in connection with 88 cases, which minority organizations describe as largely symbolic measures.
The interim government has systematically suppressed dissent and press freedom. Recent amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act enable the framing of media outlets that write favorably about the Awami League. Press accreditation cards of 167 journalists have been cancelled, while journalists like Sumi Khan and Subhash Singha Roy face criminalization for secular reporting.
The government has weaponized the Cyber Security Ordinance 2025 to suppress online dissent, while the National Human Rights Commission remains vacant after mass resignations in November 2024. In May 2025, a harsh Anti-Terrorism Act amendment banned the Awami League without public consultation, drawing criticism from Human Rights Watch.
The radicalization of Bangladesh has created serious implications for regional stability. The India-Bangladesh border remains vulnerable to exploitation by radical Islamic outfits and transnational criminal networks. Over 1.3 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are prone to radicalization and recruitment by terrorist groups, with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attempting to gain control over refugee camps.
Assessments indicate that Jamaat-e-Islami and jihadist students are planning to form an armed militia under the banner of the 'Islamic Revolutionary Army,' beginning formation on December 20, 2024. This development, funded and patronized by external forces, threatens to transform Bangladesh into another terrorist state like Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
The consolidation of Islamic elements aims at further Islamization of Bangladesh, with Islamic organizations working to establish a common platform to seize power. The prevailing anti-India sentiment is being exploited by radical Islamic forces to target India and Indian interests throughout the region.
The current state of Bangladesh suggests that without immediate international intervention, Bangladesh risks becoming the next major safe haven for terrorism. The systematic empowerment of radical groups, external terrorist involvement, widespread minority persecution, and suppression of democratic institutions represent a clear and present danger to regional stability.
