Hindus seek protection from attacks in Muslim-majority Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh — 

Tens of thousands of number Hindus rallied Friday to request that the interim authorities successful Muslim-majority Bangladesh support them from a question of attacks and harassment and driblet sedition cases against Hindu assemblage leaders.

About 30,000 Hindus demonstrated astatine a large intersection successful the southeastern metropolis of Chattogram, demanding their rights portion constabulary and soldiers guarded the area. Other protests were reported elsewhere successful the country.

Hindu groups accidental thousands of attacks against Hindus person happened 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.

Hindus marque up astir 8% of the country's astir 170 cardinal people, portion Muslims represent astir 91%.

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

U.N. quality rights officials and different rights groups person expressed interest astir 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 person go progressively influential since Hasina's ouster.

Concern from Modi

The contented has reached beyond Bangladesh, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi voicing interest astir reports of attacks.

While the medication of U.S. President Joe Biden says it has been monitoring Bangladesh’s quality rights issues since Hasina’s ouster, U.S. 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, formerly Twitter, 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 organized 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 incidental successful which a radical of rallygoers allegedly placed a saffron emblem supra the Bangladesh emblem connected a pillar, which was considered disrespectful to 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 has been 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 vandalized and acceptable connected occurrence precocious Thursday.

On Friday, Jatiya Party Chairman 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 headquarters. There was nary contiguous effect from the enactment astir whether it would property up with its attempts to clasp the rally oregon alteration the venue.

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