Rights activists, minority leaders and journalists at a discussion on Sunday said that democracy could not be sustained without ensuring equal rights and safe participation for all citizens.
They also expressed concerns over minority rights, security and political representation ahead of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections scheduled for February 12.
They came up with the observation at the roundtable titled ‘Democracy For All: Minority Rights, Representation and the National Election 2026’, organised by the Centre for Governance Studies at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital Dhaka.
BNP chairman’s adviser Sukomal Barua said that the existence of separate forums for dalits, national and religious minorities reflected a failure to ensure equal rights for all citizens.
‘Rights should not depend on identities, and freedom should not be political,’ he said, calling for collective efforts to protect fundamental rights.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council senior vice-president Nirmal Rozario said that minority rights were inseparable from human rights.
He criticised what he termed ‘voter politics’ and stressed the need for a change in mindset at all levels of society.
He also called for legal guarantees of minority security and adequate minority representation in parliament.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council’s acting general secretary Manindra Kumar Nath said that minorities had faced unrelenting persecution since 1971 and accused successive governments of lacking the willingness to listen to their grievances.
‘Minorities are living in insecurity, and many victims are afraid to speak the truth,’ he said.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sarbojanin Puja Committee president Jayanta Kumar Deb said that mob violence was increasingly threatening minority lives.
‘We cannot vote without fear. No matter which party comes to power, minorities continue to face repression,’ he said.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Welfare Front chairman Bijan Kanti Sarkar said that minorities were treated as ‘second-class citizens’ and said members of parliament often failed to raise minority issues due to a lack of connection with affected communities.
He urged political parties and majority groups to speak out for minorities.
Nijera Kori coordinator Khushi Kabir said that the concept of ‘minority’ was often used to systematically marginalise different groups.
She stressed the need for an inclusive mindset to ensure dignity and equal opportunities for all citizens.
Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad president Basudeb Dhar said that although minorities had participated in the War of Independence in 1971 and subsequent movements, their rights had not been properly recognised in the constitution or implemented in practice.
He criticised political parties for using religion to gain power while failing to fulfil commitments made in election manifestos.
Bangladesh Adivasi Forum general secretary Sanjeeb Drong said, ‘Political parties often promise in their election manifestos to include minorities and create opportunities for ethnic monitories, Hindus, or Christians. But these promises are not realised in practice. This difference is an example of how minorities’ needs and rights have not been effectively addressed.’
Human rights activist Ilira Dewan questioned how minority rights could be ensured when they were not clearly mentioned in party’s election manifestos.
She said that long-standing discrimination and the erasing of ‘Adivasi’ identity had deepened mistrust in the state.
Dalit Parishad Dhaka division head Chandra Mohan Ravidas condemned mob justice and said minorities were being deprived of basic security, including the right to vote safely.
Senior journalist Sohrab Hassan said that minorities were often labelled traitors when they raised rights issues, while those responsible for land grabbing and persecution remained in power.
The event was moderated by CGS president Zillur Rahman, who stressed the need for concrete political commitments and effective implementation to ensure democracy truly worked for all.
In his opening address, Zillur said that democracy meant a system where minority voices were heard and valued, even if they were smaller in number.
He noted that minorities made up about 8 per cent of the country’s population but continued to face insecurity and marginalisation.
‘Political parties often give minorities representation only on paper for political gain,’ he said, adding that rights must be ensured in practice.
Zillur also said that political manifestos must clearly address minority rights and electoral participation.
Without democracy and rule of law, he warned, minority rights could not be realised.
