Bangladesh’s interim government chief Mohammad Yunus on Saturday condemned the attacks on minority communities in the violence-hit country, calling them “heinous”. He urged the youth to protect all Hindu, Christian and Buddhist families.
According to two Hindu organisations, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, there have been at least 205 incidents of attacks on members of minority communities in Bangladesh in 52 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5. has suffered. Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus are trying to flee to India to escape the violence.
‘Don’t let your efforts go to waste’
According to the Dhaka Tribune newspaper report, Nobel laureate Yunus asked the students who were at the forefront of the protests not to let their efforts go waste. Addressing students at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur city, he said, ‘Many people are standing to ruin your efforts. Don’t fail this time.
‘You can’t save some families?’
Yunus strongly condemned the attacks on minority communities in the country and described these acts as “heinous”. He urged the students to protect all Hindu, Christian and Buddhist families. Emphasizing on national unity, he said, ‘Are they not the people of this country? You can save the country, can’t you save some families? You have to say – no one can harm them. He is my brother. We fought together and we will stay together.
‘Now Bangladesh is in your hands’
Emphasizing 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 subject of research – it is a power within you. He also urged the people of Bangladesh to emulate the way student activist Abu Sayeed stood bravely during the anti-government protests that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Saeed, 25, of Rangpur’s Begum Rokeya University, was among the first protesters killed in police firing on July 16 during the anti-discrimination student movement. Yunus said that the responsibility of building a new Bangladesh lies with every Bangladeshi.