‘Bangladesh Saw Incidents Of Violence Against Minorities After Fall Of Sheikh Hasina’s Government’: Reports

Dhaka: According to a report shared by the Bangladesh Chhatra Oikya Parishad, a minority organisation in violence-hit Bangladesh, at least 49 teachers belonging to minority communities were forced to resign in after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5.
The Bangladesh Chhatra Oikya Parishad is the student wing of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad and it shared the report of forcible resignations by teachers belonging to the minority communities at a press conference on Saturday, as reported by The Daily Star newspaper.
“In the students’ violent protests that followed for days following the ouster and fleeing of 76-year-old prime minister Hasina, minority teachers across the country faced physical assault, and at least 49 of them were forced to resign,” said Sajib Sarkar, the organisation’s coordinator.
However, 19 of them were reinstated later, the report quoted him as saying.
Sarkar added that religious and ethnic minorities have also faced attacks, looting, assault on women, vandalism of temples, arson attacks on homes and businesses, and killings during this period.
Bangladesh saw several incidents of violence against members of Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities following the fall of the Hasina-led Awami League government last month.
Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5 following unprecedented anti-government student-led protests over a controversial quota system in government jobs.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, 84, who is leading the interim government as its Chief Advisor, met the country’s Hindu community leaders at a reception he hosted for them last week where he vowed to promote interfaith harmony and said he wanted to build a Bangladesh where everyone can practice their faith without any fear and where no temple needs to be guarded.
According to the data compiled by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad organisations, members of minority communities in the country faced at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts since the fall of the Hasina-led government.
(With PTI inputs)