Minorities faced 205 attacks after fall of Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh: Hindu groups

205 attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh since the fall of the government, sparking widespread fear and condemnation.

Members of minority communities in Bangladesh faced at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, according to two Hindu organisations in the violence-hit nation.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad on Friday (August 9, 2024) presented the data in an open letter to 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was sworn in as the head of an interim government, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

According to the data, at least 205 attacks on members of minority communities in 52 districts have been recorded since Monday, when Sheikh Hasina (76) resigned and fled to India following widespread protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs.

"We seek protection because our lives are in a disastrous state. We are staying up at night, guarding our homes and temples. I have never seen anything like this in my life. We demand that the government restore communal harmony in the country," Nirmal Rosario, one of the three presidents of the unity council, said.

Asserting that the situation was deteriorating, Mr. Rosario urged Mr. Yunus to resolve the crisis by giving it top priority and putting an end to the violence.

The letter, signed by Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council General Secretary Rana Dasgupta and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad President Basudev Dhar, welcomed Mr. Yunus as the leader of a new era born from the unprecedented student-and public-led mass uprising aimed at establishing an equitable society and reform.

"When people's victory is advancing towards its destination, we, with sorrow and heavy hearts, observe that a vested quarter is hatching a conspiracy to tarnish this achievement by carrying out unprecedented violence against minority communities," the letter said.