Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s investment adviser Salman F Rehman and Bangladesh’s former Law Minister Aneesul Haq were arrested while escaping from Dhaka’s Sadar Ghat. The saddest part is that they were tied with ropes like criminals. And within an hour he was charged with double murder.
Hindu leaders in Bangladesh have blamed the attacks on 278 places.
Bangladesh’s minority Hindu community has faced attacks and threats at 278 locations in 48 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, the apex body of Hindus in Bangladesh said on Tuesday. The apex body called it an ‘attack on Hinduism’.
Members of the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance also pointed to the increase in attacks in recent days, saying, “We too have rights in this country, we were born here.” After Prime Minister Hasina left the country, the minority Hindu population faced violence for several days. Their houses and shops were destroyed or burnt. Their properties were destroyed.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed the post of Chief Advisor to the Interim Government on August 8. He then met members of the Hindu community at the famous Dhakeshwari temple and urged people to have ‘patience’ before assessing the role of his government. Alliance Spokesperson and Executive Secretary Palash Kanti Dey said, “Due to the changing political landscape, there are frequent incidents of vandalism, looting, arson, land grabbing and threats to leave the country against the Hindu community.” “This is not just an attack on individuals, but an attack on Hindu religion,” Dey alleged during a press conference.
Assurance of taking up the matter in the cabinet meeting
The Dhaka Tribune newspaper quoted him as saying, ‘Until Monday, attacks and threats have been made against the Hindu community at 278 places in 48 districts. We have conveyed our concerns to Adviser on Home Affairs Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain who has assured us that these issues will be taken up in the next Cabinet meeting.
Dey also stressed that the alliance has put forward its demands to various political parties in the last 24 years, but they have not been fulfilled. He said, ‘Now we hope that the interim government will pay attention to our old demands. In addition, we support our student-led nationwide movement.
Increase in attacks on Hindu community
Alliance president Prabhas Chandra Rai expressed grief over the repeated violence against the Hindu community during the political transition and said, ‘Whenever the government changes, Hindus are the first to be attacked.’ He said, ‘Though such incidents were few in the past, they have increased recently. We want to be safe in this country. We are born here and we have rights in this country.
They also demanded speedy trial of criminals and public inquiry report, release of reports on persecution of minorities since 2000, a three-day holiday during Durga Puja and establishment of a minority ministry, the Dhaka Tribune said. Earlier on Saturday, two Hindu organisations, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Ekta Parishad and the Bangladesh Pooja Udjapan Parishad, claimed that 52 districts of minority communities in Bangladesh have been displaced since the overthrow of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in August. I have been killed over the weekend. 5. At least 205 incidents of attacks were encountered.
Meanwhile, while interacting with members of the Hindu community, Younis said, everyone has equal rights. We are all human beings and we have the same rights. Do not discriminate between us. Please help us. Be patient and decide later. What could we have done and what not? Criticize us if we fail.
