Lakhs of Hindus took to the streets in Bangladesh on Saturday to protest against the ongoing attacks on the community after Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India on Monday.
Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka and Chittagong, the second-largest city in the country, witnessed lakhs of people attending the rally.
Bangladesh Hindu community members participate in a protest and block the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka
Photo Credit: PTI
Members of minority communities in Bangladesh have faced more than 205 incidents of attacks across 52 districts since the fall of the Ms Hasina-led government on August 5.
Hundreds of Hindus are believed to have been injured in attacks on their homes and businesses. Several Hindu temples have also been vandalised and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with Ms Hasina’s Awami League party have so far been killed in the violence.
Popular Indian restaurant ‘Santoor’ was vandalised and set on fire in Dhaka on Saturday
Photo Credit: AFP
Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus have also been trying to flee to neighbouring India to escape the violence.
Demanding 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, the Hindu demonstrators’ rally blocked traffic for over three hours at Shahbagh in the central part of Dhaka.
Thousands of Muslim protestors, including students, also joined them expressing solidarity for the cause of minorities.
In Chittagong, a huge gathering was held at the historic Cheragi Pahar Square.
Hindus hold a massive protest rally in Chittagong
Photo Credit: IANS
According to some reports, over seven lakh people attended the rally.
Bangladesh’s Interim Leader On Attacks On Hindus
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus on Saturday condemned attacks on the minority communities in the violence-hit nation, terming them as “heinous”.
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.
“Are they not the people of this country? You have been able to save the country; can’t you save some families?… You must say – no one can harm them. They are my brothers; we fought together, and we will stay together,” the 84-year-old asserted, underscoring the need for national unity.
