Hindu Student Expelled From Hostel In Bangladesh On Charges Of Religious Defamation

Last Updated:February 04, 2026, 17:57 IST

Asim Kumar Dhar from Jamalpur Textile Engineering College was accused of religious defamation on his social media posts and was temporarily suspended from academic activities.

Several Bangladeshi Hindus came under attack as violent protests broke out across the country in December. (Image: AFP)

A Hindu student has been expelled from the hostel of his college on charges of making objectionable remarks and religious insult, which came at a time when minorities were being repeatedly threatened and persecuted under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim regime.

Asim Kumar Dhar, a student of Jamalpur Textile Engineering College, was accused of making objectionable remarks about Hazrat Muhammad in several social media posts, which the college said constituted as religious defamation.

“Considering the seriousness and sensitivity of the matter, and based on the demands of the general students, the hall authorities, following their decision, have expelled the student Asim Kumar Dhar from the student hostel on charges of religious defamation," the principal of the college said in a statement.

Dhar was also temporarily suspended from the academic activities of the institution due to his alleged offensive behaviour. This came amid a series of violent incidents targeting members of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh in recent weeks, drawing sharp reactions from New Delhi and rights groups.

Several Hindus in Bangladesh have been lynched by Islamist mobs in the past few months, while houses belong to Hindu families have been set on fire. A series of attacks against minorities has taken place since last month, with Dipu Chandra Das’s killing by a mob over blasphemy allegations, triggering protests across the world.

The attacks have further strained ties between New Delhi and Dhaka, with India last week strongly criticising the Muhammad Yunus–led interim government for attempting to whitewash the communal nature of the crimes. In response, the Yunus-led administration sought to downplay reports of the incidents, including the killings, describing them as attempts “to destroy communal harmony through false propaganda."

India has called on Bangladesh to deal firmly with communal incidents in the country following the killing of at least five Hindu men in hostile circumstances over the past few weeks. “We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi.

News world Hindu Student Expelled From Hostel In Bangladesh On Charges Of Religious Defamation

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