National Citizen Party (NCP) leader and MP Hasnat Abdullah has alleged that the persecution of religious minorities and religious extremism were state-sponsored under the Awami League government.

In a Facebook status on Thursday, Hasnat said the Awami League had used manufactured acts of sabotage during Durga Puja to deepen divisions between Hindus and Muslims and promote the narrative that minorities were safe only under the party's rule.

He alleged that various groups benefiting from the Awami League carried out such sabotage and blamed other parties for the incidents.

Hasnat also said the party had promoted narratives at home and abroad that it was the only political force capable of protecting minorities and that Bangladesh would turn into Afghanistan amid a supposed rise in religious extremism.

According to Hasnat, the Awami League staged incidents of militancy while cases of idol vandalism at Durga Puja venues continued during its tenure. He claimed that such incidents had declined significantly since the party's fall from power on August 5, 2024.

He argued that most crimes and security concerns in Bangladesh, including extortion, business-related crimes and land grabbing, were rooted in political and economic interests rather than communal tensions.

Ordinary Hindus and Muslims alike were victims of such crimes, he said, adding that powerless citizens from all religious communities faced extortion and abuse of power by influential political figures, bureaucrats and members of security forces.

Hasnat further accused the Awami League of selectively highlighting cases involving Hindu citizens, or staging incidents itself, to construct a narrative of communal violence instead of ensuring the rule of law.

He said bringing more crimes under the judicial process and ensuring stronger protection for citizens would help reduce communal tensions.

Referring to Durga Puja celebrations since the August 2024 mass uprising, Hasnat said the festival had passed largely without disruption for three consecutive years, apart from a few isolated incidents.

He described the celebrations as an expression of religious harmony in Bangladesh and called the situation following the uprising an achievement of the July movement.