What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
On the night of October 12, students of the 17th batch of Jagannath University’s Department of Islamic History and Culture organised a graduation feast beside the campus temple in Old Dhaka. Beef khichuri was cooked near its entrance and bricks belonging to the temple were used to construct a makeshift cooking stove.
Jagannath University’s own history makes the act particularly painful. The institution traces its origins to 1872, when Kishorilal Roy Chowdhury provided land and financial support for its establishment. Today, a university bearing that legacy must demonstrate that its Hindu students enjoy the same dignity, security and freedom of conscience as enjoyed by their fellow Muslim students.
Eyewitnesses and local Hindu organisations alleged that Hafizur and Imrul Kayes, described as active members of the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, were among the feast’s organisers. A protest rally was organised by Hindu students at around 9 p.m. on 12th October. The organisers subsequently expressed regret, claiming they had not realised the bricks belonged to the campus temple.
As videos spread online, reports emerged of threats against Hindus, inflammatory misinformation about Hindu deities and the temple and intimidation directed at Hindu students. Golam Rabbi, identified as a History student of Jagannath University, publicly threatened his fellow Hindu students to convert to Islam or face severe consequences. Posts threatening Hindus with expulsion from their own homeland began to gain traction across social media platforms like Facebook.
By October 15, the controversy had grown sufficiently serious to prompt public condemnations of anti-Hindu hatred from celebrities, like Actor Nilay Alamgir.
The case of Hindu student Saikat Haldar has become a particularly troubling flashpoint. Islamist pressure groups and fellow students accused him of posting derogatory remarks about Islam and Muhammad. The university administration subsequently issued an order temporarily expelling him on October 13, amid widespread allegations that the action rested on unsubstantiated claims. Under Nationwide criticism from religious minorities, the University adminstration had published an order prohibiting the slaughter of any animals within University
campus. The decision triggered protests with University Central Student Union leader stating in public that “Bangladesh does not belong to Rabindranath”. Slogans rejecting respect for Hindu religious practices in the name of an exclusively Muslim Bangladesh further intensified the dispute.
Reports of cows being paraded on campus inspite of the university’s order, alongside plans for a beef feast on October 16, the opening day of Durga Puja 2026, have only made the situation worse.
Again, Religious Freedom, Equality of All Citizens exist only on paper in Bangladesh.
