Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh rally to demand protection from attacks

Hindu groups accidental determination person been thousands of attacks against Hindus since aboriginal August, erstwhile the secular authorities of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown and Hasina fled the state pursuing a student-led uprising. Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel bid laureate named to pb an interim authorities aft Hasina’s downfall, says those figures person been exaggerated.

Bangladesh Hindus enactment successful a rally demanding that an interim authorities retreat each cases against their leaders and support them from attacks and harassment, successful Chattogram, Bangladesh, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP)

Hindus marque up astir 8 per cent of the country’s astir 170 cardinal people, portion Muslims are astir 91 per cent.

The country’s influential number radical Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has said determination person been much than 2,000 attacks connected Hindus since August 4, arsenic the interim authorities has struggled to reconstruct order.

United Nations quality rights officials and different rights groups person expressed interest implicit quality rights successful the state nether Yunus.

Hindus and different number communities accidental the interim authorities hasn’t adequately protected them and that hard-line Islamists are becoming progressively influential since Hasina’s ouster.
The contented has reached beyond Bangladesh, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi voicing interest implicit reports of attacks.

While the medication of United States President Joe Biden has said it is monitoring Bangladesh’s quality rights issues since Hasina’s ouster, US statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump has condemned what helium described arsenic “barbaric” unit against Hindus, Christians, and different minorities successful Bangladesh.

In a station connected X, helium said: “I powerfully condemn the barbaric unit against Hindus, Christians, and different minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs successful Bangladesh, which remains successful a full authorities of chaos.” Hindu activists person been staging protestation rallies successful the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere since August to property a acceptable of 8 demands including a instrumentality to support minorities, a ministry for minorities and a tribunal to prosecute acts of oppression against minorities. They besides question a five-day vacation for their largest festival, the Durga Puja.

Friday’s protestation successful Chattogram was hastily organised aft sedition charges were filed Wednesday against 19 Hindu leaders, including salient clergyman Chandan Kumar Dhar, implicit an October 25 rally successful that city. Police arrested 2 of the leaders, angering Hindus.

The charges stem from an lawsuit successful which a radical of rally-goers allegedly placed a saffron emblem supra the Bangladesh emblem connected a pillar, which was considered disrespecting the nationalist flag.

Hindu assemblage leaders accidental the cases are politically motivated and demanded Thursday that they beryllium withdrawn wrong 72 hours. Another Hindu rally was planned for Saturday successful Dhaka.

Separately, supporters of Hasina’s Awami League enactment and its allied Jatiya Party person said they besides person been targeted since Hasina’s ouster. Jatiya’s office was vandalised and acceptable connected occurrence precocious Thursday.

On Friday, Jatiya Party seat G M Quader said his supporters would proceed to clasp rallies to request their rights contempt risking their lives. He said they would clasp a rally Saturday astatine the enactment office successful Dhaka to protestation terms hikes of commodities, and what they telephone mendacious charges against their leaders and activists.

Later Friday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police announced it was banning immoderate rallies adjacent the Jatiya Party’s headquarters. Hours aft the constabulary decision, the enactment said it postponed their rally to amusement respect to the instrumentality and a caller day for the rally would beryllium announced soon.

The constabulary determination came aft a pupil radical powerfully criticised the constabulary medication for initially granting support for the rally, and threatened to artifact it.