WITH THE Hindu minority in Bangladesh facing attacks in the last week, after Sheikh Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and fled to India on August 5, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who is heading the interim government, reached out on Tuesday with a visit to the Dhakeshwari Temple where he met community leaders and assured “justice” and “equal rights” for all.
“Rights are equal for everyone. We are all one people with one right. Do not make any distinctions among us. Please assist us. Exercise patience, and later judge — what we were able to do and not do. If we fail, then criticise us,” Yunus said, after meeting minority leaders. He said the administration would work towards a situation where Hindus and other minorities don’t have to fear for their safety.
According to minority organisations, there have been at least five deaths and 205 incidents of attacks on Hindus in over 50 districts since the fall of the Hasina government on August 5. On August 8, as Yunus was sworn in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended his best wishes and urged him to ensure “the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities”. This direct reference to the safety of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh underlined Delhi’s expectations from the new players in Dhaka.
“In our democratic aspirations, we should not be seen as Muslims, Hindus or Buddhists, but as human beings. Our rights should be ensured. The root of all problems lies in the decay of institutional arrangements. That is why such issues arise. Institutional arrangements need to be fixed,” Yunus said on Tuesday. “We have to establish human rights and freedom of speech. That is our prime goal,” he said….
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