Pushpita Gupta, British Labour Party Politician, Human Rights Activist, and Founder of Secular Bangladesh Movement UK
Pushpita Gupta is a British Labour Party politician, human rights activist, and the founding president of Secular Bangladesh Movement UK. Born in April 1971 in Bangladesh during the Liberation War, Gupta has dedicated her life to advancing secularism, protecting minority rights, and championing democratic values in South Asia and beyond. As a councillor for the Seven Kings ward in the London Borough of Redbridge since 2021, she combines local public service with international human rights advocacy.
Early Life and Background
Born during Bangladesh’s liberation struggle, Gupta’s family background deeply shaped her lifelong commitment to justice and equality. Growing up in a household connected to the independence movement, she witnessed firsthand the power of collective action for freedom and democratic values. This formative experience instilled in her a passion for defending the rights of marginalized communities and upholding secular, democratic principles.
After establishing herself in the United Kingdom in the mid-2000s, Gupta settled in the London Borough of Redbridge, where she became actively involved in community development and civic engagement. Before entering formal politics, she worked in the education and business sectors.
Election to Redbridge Council
In May 2021, Gupta contested a by-election for the Seven Kings ward in the London Borough of Redbridge as the Labour Party candidate. Her campaign centred on community safety, street accessibility, and improved policing—issues directly reflecting the priorities of her diverse constituents. She won decisively with 2,227 votes (57.4% of the vote share), defeating the Conservative candidate by a significant margin.
Demonstrating sustained community support, Gupta was re-elected in the May 2022 London borough council elections, topping the poll in Seven Kings ward with 1,707 votes. In her role as councillor, she serves on the Planning Committee and actively works within the Redbridge Labour Group to represent the borough’s diverse South Asian diaspora. Her focus remains on ensuring that local governance reflects and responds to the needs of all community members.
Founding and Leadership of Secular Bangladesh Movement UK
In December 2015, Gupta founded Secular Bangladesh Movement UK, an organization established to counter the rise of religious intolerance and to advance secular democratic values in South Asia. The organisation is registered in the United Kingdom under the Companies Act 2006 (registration number 09929975) and operates with a dedicated team of organisers and volunteers.
The Secular Bangladesh Movement UK is built on the conviction that:
• Secular governance and constitutional frameworks protect religious freedom and minority rights
• Religious extremism poses a genuine threat to democratic institutions and social cohesion
• International advocacy and solidarity are essential tools in defending vulnerable populations
• Evidence-based, truthful reporting on human rights violations is fundamental to justice
The organisation’s work encompasses public awareness campaigns, media engagement, policy advocacy, and coordination with international human rights bodies.
UN Forum on Minority Issues
In November 2015, Gupta represented Secular Bangladesh Movement UK at the eighth session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva. In her address to the forum, she presented compelling demographic and legal evidence on the persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh:
• She documented the dramatic demographic decline of the Bangladeshi Hindu population, from over 22% in 1951 to under 9% in 2011—a decline unmatched by any other South Asian country
• She detailed specific failures of the Bangladeshi justice system to prosecute violence, discrimination, and persecution against religious minorities
• She called on Western governments and international bodies to link foreign aid to verifiable protections for religious minorities
• She urged the restoration of the 1972 Constitution’s secular framework and emphasis on constitutional secularism as foundational to minority protection
This intervention established Gupta as a credible voice on South Asian human rights issues within international forums and brought global attention to the systematic erosion of minority protections in Bangladesh.
Response to Post-2024 Political Crisis in Bangladesh
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 and the transition to an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, Gupta rapidly assumed a more visible leadership role in UK-based advocacy for endangered minorities in South Asia.
Advocacy for Hindu and Religious Minorities
As deteriorating security conditions for religious minorities in Bangladesh became apparent, Gupta took on the role of member secretary for the United Hindu Alliance (UHA) in the UK. She characterised the political shift as a critical threat to minority populations, arguing that the removal of the secular Awami League government had created an opening for Islamist extremism and left religious minorities vulnerable to what she described as “targeted extermination.”
Working alongside diaspora organisations, Gupta mobilised UK-based advocacy efforts to:
• Document and publicise incidents of violence, arson, and looting targeting Hindu properties
• Raise international awareness of the precarious position of Bangladesh’s religious minorities
• Call for stronger international intervention and protection mechanisms
Organisational Collaboration and Network
Gupta works collaboratively with other UK-based organisations and activists dedicated to similar goals, including:
• Nishit Sarker Mithu, a prominent blogger, human rights activist, and organiser with Secular Bangladesh Movement UK, whose extensive documentation of persecution of secular activists and religious minorities complements the organisation’s advocacy work
• Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee (Forum for Secular Bangladesh & Trial of War Criminals of 1971), a long-established UK-based organisation focused on accountability for 1971 war crimes
• The United Hindu Alliance (UHA), which coordinates advocacy efforts across diaspora communities.
Sources:
• Wikipedia: Pushpita Gupta
• Redbridge Council Official Records (Councillor Details)
• X/Twitter: @GuptaPushpita
• The Print (Indian media): “Group of expat Bangladeshi Hindus calls for deployment of UN peacekeeping forces in Bangladesh” (December 30, 2024)
• Secular Bangladesh Movement UK Official Website
• UN Forum on Minority Issues Documentation (Session 8, November 2015)
• National Secular Society: “Secularists at ‘serious’ risk in Bangladesh, UK government says”
