Bangladesh Hindu Community members protested in Dhaka amid anti-Hindu violence following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the collapse of her Awami League government.
The Jamuna State Guest House in Dhaka where Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, the head of the nation’s interim government is currently staying, Hindu community staged a protest on the site on Tuesday.
A brief altercation also occurred between the Bangladesh Army stationed at the guest house and the protestors who were holding posters of their missing family members. The chief adviser to the caretaker government Yunus had earlier in the day visited Dhakas ancient Dhakeshwari Temple. The well-known economist who is 84 years old assured Hindus and other minorities that they are safe and secure in the nation.
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus’s response
“Everybody has the same rights. With equal rights we are all members of one people. Do not differentiate between the two of us. Will you please help us? Be patient and then make an assessment of what can be accomplished and what cannot”. According to The Daily Star, Yunus stated “If we fail then criticize us”.
He also issued a warning to Bangladeshis not to identify as Muslims Hindus or Buddhists. “ It is important to protect our rights. All issues stem from the deterioration of institutional frameworks.”This is the reason these kinds of problems occur—institutional setups must be adjusted” Yunus continued stressing that Hindus have to regard themselves as children of the soil.
With Hindus making up about 8% (1.3 crore) of Bangladesh’s total population of 17 crore, they are the largest minority religious group in the country. The recent anti-Hindu attacks have sparked widespread condemnation in India and from some Indian-origin lawmakers in the United States.
What’s really happening in Bangladesh?
Bangladesh’s chief justice and government were forced to resign and Sheikh Hasina was overthrown amid widespread violence. An interim government was then formed on August 10th. Reports of numerous attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority surfaced during the unrest.Amid the chaotic period, reports emerged of multiple attacks on Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
As reported by Reuters, Hindus who make up 8 percent of Bangladesh’s 170 million population, have traditionally supported Sheikh Hasina’s largely secular Awami League party over the opposition, which includes a hardline Islamist party.
According to the Hindu since Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed at least two Hindu organizations and members of Bangladesh’s minority community have experienced at least 205 attacks spread across 52 districts.
