Dhaka, Jun 3 (PTI) Bangladesh's religious minorities, including Hindus, today demanded the scrapping of the provision that declares Islam as a state religion so as to restore the secular character of the 1972 constitution.
Rana Dasgupta, General Secretary of Hindu Boudhha Christian Oikya Parishad, a key organisation of religious minorities in Bangladesh, said the entire nation wanted the restoration of the spirit of secularism.

Dasgupta said the country's nearly 2.5 crore minorities were "deeply concerned" as a parliamentary constitution amendment committee reportedly decided not to touch the provision that declared Islam as the state religion.

The Parisad warned of tough actions against plans to retain Islam as the state religion. It said Islam was incorporated as the state religion in 1988 when an autocratic regime was in power that wanted to divide the nation on religious lines.