Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus condemns attacks on minority communities in the country

Bangladesh’s Interim Government Head Muhammad Yunus condemned the attacks on the minority communities in the violence-hit nation, calling them heinous. As per the media reports, Mr Yunus, a Nobel laureate, also urged the students, who are at the forefront of the protests, to protect all Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist families from harm.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, also condemned the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and emphasised the organisation’s commitment to opposing violence based on race, religion, or any other discriminatory grounds. Haq also reaffirmed the UN’s readiness to assist in the rehabilitation of Hindus and other minorities impacted by the violence.

Yesterday, thousands of minority Hindu community members staged massive protest rallies in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka and the north-eastern port city of Chattagram for the second consecutive day. Their rally blocked traffic for over



three hours at Shahbagh in the central part of Dhaka. Their demand included special tribunals to expedite trials of those who persecute the minorities, allocation of 10 per cent parliamentary seats for the minorities, and enactment of a minority protection law, among others. Thousands of Muslim protestors, including students, also joined them in Dhaka expressing solidarity for the cause of minorities.

A large group of demonstrators gathered in front of the White House in Washington yesterday to protest the recent violence targeting minority Hindus and other groups in Bangladesh. The protesters, hailing from various parts of the country, including Washington, Maryland, Virginia, and New York, carried both American and Bangladeshi flags. Meanwhile, Indian American lawmakers, In a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have called for Congressional hearings on attacks on Hindus and other minority groups in Bangladesh.