Population Reality
Muslims in India constitute one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. According to India’s 2011 official census, Muslims made up 15% of the country’s population, which today is estimated at more than 220-230 million people.
In contrast, Hindus in Bangladesh make up around 7% of the population, numbering approximately 14-15 million people.
In other words, the Muslim population of India is larger than the entire population of Bangladesh. Therefore, their social, political, and cultural presence would naturally be expected to be much greater.
Religious Freedom and Religious Practice
In Bangladesh, Hindus openly celebrate Durga Puja, Janmashtami, Rath Yatra, Kali Puja, Saraswati Puja and other religious festivals. These events receive security support from the state and administration and are widely covered at the national level.
Muslims in India also freely perform prayers, celebrate Eid, undertake Hajj, and operate madrasa education and religious activities. However, in recent years, controversies over the hijab, mosque-temple disputes, objections to the call to prayer (Azan), cow-related issues, and debates centered around religious identity have created concerns within the Muslim community.
Representation and Participation in the Mainstream
One important indicator of the actual condition of a minority community is its participation in the mainstream institutions of the state and society.
Although Hindus constitute around 7-8% of Bangladesh’s population, they have a significant presence in education, medicine, engineering, law, business, universities, the civil service, judiciary, and police. Various studies suggest that minority representation in some levels of the civil service, judiciary, and police ranges between 12-15%, which is nearly double their share of the population. In some professions, their participation is estimated to be as high as 20-25%.
Many secretaries, judges, police officers, doctors, teachers, industrialists, and cultural figures in Bangladesh come from the Hindu community.
On the other hand, although Muslims constitute about 15% of India’s population, their representation in the administration, police, judiciary, and other policy-making institutions has long been lower than their population share. Various studies have found that Muslim representation in the IAS, IPS, and higher government services remains around 3-5%, which is significantly lower than their population proportion—roughly one-fifth of what it would be if representation matched population size.
As a result, Hindus in Bangladesh appear to be comparatively overrepresented in many state and professional sectors relative to their population share, while Muslims in India remain underrepresented in several key state institutions despite being a much larger community.
Security of Places of Worship and Religious Sites
The demolition of the Babri Mosque in India was not merely the destruction of a building; it was a historic turning point that had a long-term impact on the sense of security among Indian Muslims. Since then, legal and political disputes surrounding several mosques, along with cases of mosque demolition or eviction, have attracted international attention.
In Bangladesh, incidents of attacks, vandalism, and arson targeting temples have occurred and are certainly concerning. However, there is no comparable example of a major historic temple being removed or demolished with direct state or court backing. In most cases, the authorities have stated that action would be taken against those responsible.
Citizenship and the State’s Approach
This is perhaps the most significant difference between the two situations.
The controversy surrounding the CAA and NRC in India emerged largely because many Muslims feared that citizenship verification processes could place them at greater risk. Many analysts viewed this as a form of structural pressure on Muslims. The nationwide protests, including the famous Shaheen Bagh movement, were fundamentally driven by concerns over citizenship and equal rights.
In Bangladesh, there has been no comparable state-level debate regarding the citizenship or constitutional status of Hindus. A Hindu citizen does not face the prospect of losing recognition as a Bangladeshi because of his or her religious identity.
Social Behavior and Public Space
Over the last decade, international media have documented numerous incidents in India involving Muslims being forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram,” being harassed over allegations of possessing or consuming beef, or being targeted because of their religious identity. These incidents do not represent the behavior of all Indians, but they are real and documented occurrences.
In Bangladesh, incidents of attacks, intimidation, and harassment against Hindus have occurred. However, there is no widespread, organized national pattern of forcing Hindus to recite Islamic declarations of faith, compelling religious conversion, or systematically forcing religious slogans upon them.
Protests, Assemblies, and Political Activism
In Bangladesh, Hindu groups have organized public rallies, human chains, demonstrations, and protests on issues related to minority rights, security, representation, and specific incidents. Such events generally take place openly.
Muslims in India also organize protests. However, the experience of the anti-CAA and anti-NRC movements demonstrated that large-scale Muslim-centered political protests often face greater political controversy, security scrutiny, and state response.
Media, Rumors, and Narrative Warfare
When attacks against Hindus occur in Bangladesh, a section of the Indian media often presents them as representative of the overall situation in Bangladesh.
Conversely, incidents involving discrimination or actions against Muslims in India are frequently explained as matters of law enforcement, removal of illegal structures, or local disputes, with less attention given to broader patterns and trends.
As a result, both countries experience not only real incidents but also competing narratives and information battles.
