Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation: On the escalating hostilities in Bangladesh

First published at Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.

We express our deep anguish and grave concern over the rapidly escalating violence and organised public unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh. A disturbing wave of vandalism and targeted attacks has already resulted in significant loss of life and property.

Reactionary fundamentalist forces, mobilising youth along communal lines, have unleashed systematic assaults on religious minorities, opposition voices, and progressive cultural institutions. The attacks on leading media houses Pratham Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka, and the ransacking of renowned cultural organisations chhayanaut and Udichi, signal a direct assault on democratic and secular values. The killing of student leader Osman Hadi of Inquilab Manch, the lynching and burning of a minority youth in Mymensingh, and the death of a minor girl in Chattogram following arson at a BNP leader’s residence, underscore the alarming brutality of the ongoing violence. Opposition party offices have also been systematically targeted.

This unprecedented spate of violence must be halted immediately. We urge the Bangladesh administration to act decisively, identify the perpetrators, and ensure justice.

We call upon the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh to intervene to thwart this deliberate attempt by fundamentalist forces to destabilise society and undermine the democratic process ahead of the scheduled general election in February 2026.

At the same time, we remain deeply concerned that the fascist and fundamentalist forces in India may seek to exploit these developments to stoke Islamophobia and communal polarisation, particularly in West Bengal, for electoral gains in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

We appeal to all left, democratic, and secular-minded citizens to remain vigilant against sectarian provocations and to actively uphold the constitutional commitment to communal harmony, pluralism, and democratic rights across religious and cultural lines.