THE shaky state of minority confidence in security before the national elections, as various surveys and studies show, warrants special measures. A Centre for Governance Studies survey report, unveiled on February 8, says that more than 50 per cent of minority community people are concerned about security during and after the elections while more than 25 per cent consider the voting process unsafe or extremely unsafe. Such perceptions are not unfounded as incidents of violence and harassment targeting minorities have made the headlines in many previous elections and as there has been a marked rise in far-right politics. That more than a half of minority voters feel insecure is, therefore, not merely a perception problem but a warning signal. The survey finds that most minority voters have adopted a ‘wait-and-see’ approach about the elections and may avoid voting. Many have also expressed deep mistrust in the law enforcement agencies and institutions meant to protect citizens, saying that they rarely lodge formal complaints if threatened, harassed or attacked, for fear of retaliation and social stigma.
The risks highlighted by the survey should be read alongside longer-term patterns of electoral violence against minorities. Rights research organisation Sapran’s recent findings confirm that attacks before and after elections are neither sporadic nor accidental but structurally embedded. Regions such as Chattogram and Rangpur have repeatedly emerged as flashpoints, with new danger zones expanding across the north and the south-east. Nearly a half of documented incidents over two decades involved physical attacks, killing and the destruction of houses and places of worship. These are not abstract statistics. They represent cycles of fear that deepen after ballots are cast, when political attention fades and impunity thrives. Violence against minority communities and their property is, moreover, not always politically motivated. In many cases, it is fuelled by personal enmity, land disputes and other factors. The forthcoming elections are crucial for the democratic transition and will be the final test for the interim government that has promised free, fair and inclusive elections. Political violence and violence against minorities should, therefore, be treated as a high priority and special security measures need to be taken to ensure the safety and security of minority communities before and after the elections.
The authorities must, therefore, move beyond assurances and act decisively, especially in the vulnerable post-election period when attacks have historically spiked. The preventive deployment of security forces in identified hotspots, swift prosecution of perpetrators regardless of political affiliation, confidential reporting mechanism and community-based monitoring are essential. The Election Commission, the police and local administration must coordinate transparently and proactively. Failure to act will invite a repetition of violence that Bangladesh can neither afford nor justify.
