Muhammad Yunus urged the students to protect all Hindu, Christian and Buddhist families from harm.
Dhaka:
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus on Saturday condemned the attacks on minority communities in the violence-hit country, calling them “heinous”, and urged the youth to protect all Hindu, Christian and Buddhist families from harm .
Members of minority communities in Bangladesh have suffered at least 205 attacks in 52 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, according to two Hindu organizations – Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad – – in the country.
Thousands of Bengali Hindus have tried to flee to neighboring India to escape the violence.
Yunus, a Nobel laureate, warned students at the forefront of the protests not to let their efforts be sabotaged by those who want to undermine their progress, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
“There are many ready to make your efforts futile. Don’t miss this time,” he said while addressing the students of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur city.
Yunus unequivocally condemned the attacks on minority communities in the country, calling the acts “heinous.”
He urged the students to protect all Hindu, Christian and Buddhist families from harm.
‘Aren’t they the people of this country? You were able to save the country; Can’t you save some families?…You have to say: no one can hurt them. They are my brothers; we fought together, and we will stay together,” he asserted, underscoring the need for national unity.
Stressing the importance of youth leadership, Yunus said: “This Bangladesh is now in your hands. You have the power to take it wherever you want. This is not a matter of research – it is a power within you.” He also urged the people of Bangladesh to follow the way student activist Abu Sayed bravely stood up during the anti-government demonstrations that led to the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Sayed, 25, from Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, was among the first protesters killed in police firing on July 16 during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Yunus, who was sworn in as head of the interim government on Thursday, met with Sayed’s relatives in Rangpur’s Pirganj upazila, The Daily Star newspaper reported.
“We must stand firm like Abu Sayed. Abu Sayeed’s mother is everyone’s mother. We have to protect her, protect her sisters, protect her brothers. Everyone has to do it together,” he told reporters after meeting Sayed’s family.
Yunus said the responsibility of building a new Bangladesh lies with every Bangladeshi.
“We will remember him (Abu Sayed) through this. That’s why we have to make sure we do the work (that is needed),” he said.
“Abu Sayed is no longer a member of just one family. He is the child of all families in Bangladesh. The children who grow up and go to school and college will know Abu Sayed and say to themselves, ‘I too will fight for justice.’ Abu Sayed is now in every home,” Yunus said.
Meanwhile, thousands of Hindu agitators, including students, blocked Shahbagh intersection for the second day in a row on Saturday, protesting attacks on their homes, shops and temples in several parts of the country, The Daily Star newspaper reported.
They shouted slogans like ‘Save the Hindus’, ‘Why are my temples and houses being looted? We want answers’, ‘Hindu persecution in independent Bangladesh will not continue’, ‘Religion is for individuals, the state is for everyone. ,” and “Ensure the safety of Hindus.”
A number of Hindu temples, households and businesses were destroyed, women were attacked and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with the Awami League party led by Hasina were killed in the violence in Bangladesh after she fled the country, according to community leaders in Dhaka.
The protesters warned that if immediate measures are not taken to stop the persecution of Hindus, they will opt for continued protest programmes.
They also demanded the formation of a ministry for minorities, the establishment of a committee for the protection of minorities, the enactment and implementation of strict laws to prevent all forms of attacks on minorities, and the allocation of 10 percent of parliamentary seats to minorities.
In another major development, Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan and five other top judges resigned on Saturday, five days after the fall of the Hasina regime, amid massive street protests and students marching to the top court demanding a renewal demands from the judiciary.
The 65-year-old top judge announced his decision around 1 p.m., after demonstrators from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement gathered in the highest court building. The students had given him and the Appellate Division judges an ultimatum to resign by 1 p.m. ‘I feel it necessary to share special news with you. Our Chief Justice resigned a few minutes ago. His resignation letter has already reached the Ministry of Justice,” Legal Advisor equivalent to the Minister of the newly installed interim government, Prof. Asif Nazrul said in a video message on Facebook.
Appellate Division Judge, Md. Ashfaqul Islam, has been appointed as acting Chief Justice after Hassan’s resignation, Supreme Court Public Relations Officer Md. said. Shafiqul Islam, to the media.
Several other top officials, including Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Maksud Kamal and Bangla Academy Director General Professor Dr Md Harun-Ur-Rashid Askari, have resigned from their positions in the wake of new protests by students and other demonstrators.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
