Hundreds protest attacks on minorities in Bangladesh

Several hundreds of people from the minority communities took the streets in Bangladesh capital Dhaka on Friday to protest against the attacks on them that had occurred since August 5, following the fall of last government led by Sheikh Hasina, reported New Age, a leading English language newspaper published from Dhaka.

Blocking the Shahbagh intersection at about 4:30pm, protesters chanted slogans and held placards that read, ‘Why is my life so cheap? Not their knives, but your silence cuts deep,’ ‘Is this the way to treat minorities!’, ‘Save Bangladeshi Hindus,’ and ‘We want minority rights to be implemented.’

Bangladesh Sachetan Sanatani Nagarik organised the rally in protest at the murders, attacks, vandalism and looting of temples, houses and establishments of Hindu community and the rape of Hindu women that occurred after Hasina had resigned and left the country.

They demanded fair investigations into all the incidents and that the culprits be brought to justice.

Their other demands included, enacting and enforcing strict laws to prevent all kinds of attacks on minorities, establishing a ministry for minorities, creating a minority safeguards commission, and reservation of 10 per cent of parliamentary seats for minorities.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, meanwhile, held a press conference on Friday morning at Dhaka Reporters Unity, demanding an immediate end to the violence against all minority communities.

A leader of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, who read an open letter addressed to the chief adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, said that thousands of Hindu families had come under attack in at least 52 districts across the country.

‘Many Hindu temples were set on fire following the attacks, and Hindus were murdered in several areas, with other minority communities also being attacked. Such violence is ongoing, and we demand an immediate end to it,’ he said.

The speakers called for a thorough investigation of every incident, demanding trial of all those involved in the violence.