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In a historic move, the United Kingdom hosted its first-ever Hindu Conference 2025 in London on Saturday, aimed at protesting the long-standing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh and expressing solidarity with victims. The event was held at the Ripple Centre in Barking and brought together prominent British politicians, community leaders, human rights advocates, and members of the Hindu diaspora.
Organized by a dedicated steering committee, the conference opened with a symbolic lighting of the ceremonial lamp following the recitation of the Bhagavad Gita by the esteemed Shri Gourpada Dev. The national anthems of Bangladesh and the United Kingdom were played to honor both nations and their people.
Dr. Sunil Roy, a senior member of the organizing committee and a respected physician, delivered the keynote address. He emphasized the systemic oppression faced by Hindus in Bangladesh and urged the global community to speak out. "The time for silent endurance has ended. We must unite to resist oppression and demand justice," he said, calling on political and civil society leaders to actively engage in this cause.
Several Members of Parliament and local government officials addressed the audience, expressing concern over the human rights situation in Bangladesh:
Margaret Mullen, MP for Barking and Dagenham, spoke about her work with the local Hindu community and expressed serious concern over the human rights violations faced by Hindus in Bangladesh. She called on the Bangladesh government to uphold the rights of all its citizens and pledged her continued support.
Jas Athwal, MP for Ilford South, stated that he had raised the issue of minority persecution in Bangladesh in the British Parliament and approached Foreign Secretary David Lammy to take diplomatic action. He reaffirmed his commitment to standing by the Hindu community.
Umesh Desai, Member of the Greater London Assembly, criticized the continued violence and marginalization of Hindus in Bangladesh. He called on the Bangladeshi government to guarantee safety, security, and peaceful coexistence for all minorities.
Mayor Moin Qadri of Barking and Dagenham expressed dismay over the reports of attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus. As a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin, he described the ongoing persecution as "deeply unfortunate" and pledged support to the Hindu community within his jurisdiction.
A powerful visual presentation was shown, detailing incidents of violence, rape, arson, land grabbing, forced migration, and religious conversion from 1947 to 2025. The graphic images and statistics left many audience members visibly emotional. The data was curated to highlight the systematic nature of the persecution and the urgent need for international attention.
An open Q&A session featured panelists Mr. Haradhan Bhowmik, Mr. Samir Das, and Mr. Bikram Banerjee, who addressed questions from attendees on the situation in Bangladesh and the path forward for global advocacy.
The organizers honored all participating MPs, mayors, councillors, and community leaders with traditional shawls (uttorio) as a token of gratitude.
Several individuals were acknowledged for their efforts in making the event a success, including Shri Gourpada Dev, Dr. Sunil Roy, Haradhan Bhowmik, Amitosh Majumdar, Bishwajit Ball, Swaroop Shyam Chowdhury, Shipon Barman, Suranjit Gupta, Gautam Saha, and Sanjit Das.
The conference concluded with closing remarks by Mr. Gautam Saha, who thanked all guests, supporters, and volunteers for contributing to a historic and meaningful event.
