The plight of Hindus in Bangladesh

BBC World Service · The Documentary · Heart and Soul

Sahar Zand, investigative journalist, reporter & presenter, reporting in Bangladesh for BBC World Service Heart & Soul on Hindu attacks, misinformation and minority rights LISTEN

Part One - Verifying the Violence

In the aftermath of the student-led protests that brought down Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, disturbing videos of attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority flooded social media, showing burning homes, violence and families pleading for help.

But as some of the footage was amplified and sensationalised by right-wing influencers and media in neighbouring India, questions grew over what was genuine and what was misinformation.

Sahar Zand travels to Bangladesh to investigate the truth behind the competing narratives. She follows Hindu university students Sukanto and Banamali, who are documenting attacks on their community, travelling with them through affected areas and hearing first-hand accounts of homes burned, temples desecrated and families torn apart by mob violence.

January 2025   · Heart & Soul · BBC Sounds · Spotify · Apple Podcasts  

Sahar Zand, investigative journalist, reporter & presenter, investigating anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh for BBC World Service, religious extremism, human rights & minorities LISTEN 2

Part Two - Behind the Violence

Sahar continues travelling with Sukanto and Banamali as they document fresh attacks on Hindu communities , joining them as they respond in real time to violence in a Hindu-majority village and meeting victims whose lives have been devastated.

The investigation moves beyond verifying whether the attacks are taking place to examine what may be driving them. Sahar hears allegations of political involvement, visits a destroyed temple complex and explores concerns about the rise of Islamist rhetoric and religious intolerance.

In a tense interview, she challenges Islamist leader Mahmudul Hasan Gunovi over inflammatory rhetoric, before the investigation culminates at a disputed site where a Hindu crematorium has been destroyed and a makeshift mosque erected; an encounter that rapidly escalates and exposes the depth of tensions on the ground.

January 2025   ·   Heart & Soul · BBC Sounds · Spotify · Apple Podcasts

Selected Press, Impact & Recognition

Following its broadcast, the investigation was cited and discussed by journalists, policy organisations and human-rights groups, contributing to wider scrutiny of attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority at a time when competing claims and misinformation had made the extent of the violence difficult to establish.

In March 2025, Sahar was invited to present findings from her reporting at the 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where she gave testimony on attacks against religious minorities, rising extremism and the risks facing journalists reporting from Bangladesh. Global Human Rights Defence described her testimony as “very captivating and worrying”.

The documentary also became one of BBC World Service’s most-downloaded editions of Heart & Soul.

Finalist — Sandford St Martin Awards 2026 · Journalism

Documentary coverage —‍ ‍ OpIndia · The Commune

Reporting cited — International Policy Digest

UN Coverage — GHRD · ThePrint · The Tribune 

Credits

  • Sahar Zand

    Presenter & Producer

  • Rajeev Gupta

    Executive Producer

  • Mica Nepomucen

    Production Coordinator

  • Simon Pitts

    Commissioning Editor