Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus on Saturday condemned attacks on minority communities in the violence-hit country, calling them “heinous” and urged youth to protect all Hindu, Christian and Buddhist families from harm.
Members of minority communities in Bangladesh have faced at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, according to two Hindu organisations in Bangladesh – Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad.
Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus are trying to flee to neighbouring India to escape the violence.
Nobel laureate Yunus reached out to students who were at the forefront of the protests, cautioning them not to let their efforts go to waste at the hands of those who seek to undermine their progress, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
“There are many people standing to thwart your efforts. Do not fail this time,” he said while addressing students at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur city.
Yunus categorically condemned the attacks on minority communities in the country and described these acts as “heinous”.
He urged the students to protect all Hindu, Christian and Buddhist families from harm.
Stressing the need for national unity, he said, “Are they not the people of this country? You are able to save the country; can you not save a few families?…You should say – nobody can harm them. They are my brothers; we have fought together, and we will remain together.”
Stressing the importance of youth leadership, Yunus said, “This Bangladesh is in your hands now. You have the power to take it wherever you want. This is not a subject of research – it is the power within you.”
He also urged the people of Bangladesh to emulate student activist Abu Sayeed, who acted bravely during the anti-government protests that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Sayeed, a 25-year-old student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, was one of the first protesters to be killed in police firing during the anti-discrimination student movement on July 16.
Yunus, who was sworn in as head of the interim government on Thursday, met Saeed’s family members in Rangpur’s Pirganj upazila, the Daily Star newspaper reported.
“We have to stand up the same way Abu Saeed stood…Abu Saeed’s mother is everybody’s mother. We have to protect her, her sisters and her brothers. We all have to do this work together,” he told reporters after meeting Saeed’s family.
Yunus said that it is the responsibility of every Bangladeshi to build a new Bangladesh.
“We will remember him (Abu Saeed) through this. So we must ensure that we do the needful,” he said.
“Abu Sayeed is no longer just a member of one family. He is the child of every family in Bangladesh. The children who grow up and go to school and college will learn about Abu Sayeed and say to themselves, ‘I will also fight for justice.’ Abu Sayeed is now in every household,” Yunus said.
Meanwhile, thousands of Hindu agitators, including students, blocked the Shahbagh intersection for the second consecutive day on Saturday, protesting attacks on their homes, shops and temples in different parts of the country, The Daily Star newspaper reported.
They raised slogans such as “Save the Hindus”, “Why are my temples and houses being looted? We want answers”, “Atrocities against Hindus will not continue in an independent Bangladesh”, “Religion is for individuals, the state is for everyone” and “Ensure the safety of Hindus”.
According to Hindu community leaders in Dhaka, several Hindu temples, homes and business establishments were vandalised, women were attacked and at least two Hindu leaders associated with Hasina’s Awami League party were killed in the violence that broke out in Bangladesh after the exodus.
The protesters warned that if immediate steps were not taken to stop atrocities against Hindus, they would continue protests.
He also demanded formation of a Ministry for Minorities, establishment of a Minority Protection Commission, enactment and implementation of stringent laws to prevent all kinds of attacks on minorities and allocation of 10 per cent seats in Parliament for minorities.
In another major development, Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan tendered his resignation on Saturday, five days after the collapse of the Hasina regime. There were massive protests on the streets and students marched to the Supreme Court demanding reforms in the judiciary.
The 65-year-old top judge delivered his verdict around 1 pm, when protesters from the anti-discrimination student movement gathered at the Supreme Court premises. The students had given an ultimatum to him and the judges of the appellate division to resign by 1 pm.
“I think it is necessary to share a special news with you. Our Chief Justice resigned a few minutes ago. His resignation letter has already reached the Law Ministry”, Professor Asif Nazrul, law adviser equivalent to a minister in the newly-installed interim government, said in a Facebook video message.
Supreme Court public relations officer Mohammad Shafiqul Islam told the media that following Hasan’s resignation, Appellate Division Judge Mohammad Ashfaqul Islam has been appointed acting Chief Justice.
In the wake of fresh protests by students and other agitators, several other top officials, including Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Maqsud Kamal and Bangla Academy Director General Professor Dr Mohammad Harun-ur-Rashid Askari, resigned from their posts.
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