Bangladesh Rally Claims Government is Not Safeguarding Hindus

GUWAHATI: Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, Saturday to demand greater protections for Hindus and other minority groups, which say they face more violence and threats since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted.

The protest follows a student-led uprising that had resulted in Hasina's ouster in August, a transition of power that has been characterized by a spate of retaliations against Hindus, who had been perceived as strong allies of her government.

A Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus, leads the new caretaker government. However, the newly elected caretaker government has officially condemned attacks on Hindus in the aftermath of Hasina's exit, yet Yunus and his government have made it abundantly clear that many of the attacks are politically motivated, and that religious animosity was least of their concerns.

Despite these official declarations, protests have continued in recent months with protesters demanding the Yunus administration take actual steps to end attacks against minority communities and calling for an "advisory council" to be set up to oversee the roll-out of democratic reforms as well as to arrange for fresh elections.

It is a matter of deep regret that the council of advisers shows no concern for the sufferings minorities have had to undergo, Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari, one of the top Hindu civic leaders, said. He described the nature of the attacks on the serious side and mentioned how temples, businesses, and houses of Hindus were attacked.

The protest organizers are demanding radical reforms like the promulgation of laws, ensuring protection for minority rights, and representation in government.

Tensions around these protests have lately grown more acute, especially since sedition charges were filed against 19 people who attended a previous rally advocating for minority rights in Chittagong. They are accused of showing disrespect to the national flag by hoisting a saffron flag—representing Hinduism—above it.

As the call for justice for minority groups and their due protection grows louder, no one can predict the destiny of religious harmony in the country.

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