After thousands of members of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh protested against the violence against the communuity following former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster, Muhammad Yunus, head of the interim governemt, condemned the attacks as "heinous".
The Nobel laureate urged the student protesters to protect all minority communities, including Hindu, Christian and Buddhists, from being targeted. "Are they not the people of this country? You have been able to save the country. Can't you save some families?" he asked the student protesters.
"You must say: No one can harm them. They are my brothers; we fought together, and we will stay together," Yunus added.
He warned that the attacks targeting Hindus and other minorities could be a sabotage by those seeking to undermine their progress. "There are many standing by to make your efforts futile. Don't fall this time,” Yunus told the students.
The protesters raised slogans urging Yunus as well as the media and citizen to protect the minorities. Some of the slogans were "Who are you? Who am I? Bengali, Bengali!" and "None of us are free until all of us are free".
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad President Nirmal Rosario sent an open letter to Yunus as he said, "We stay up all night guarding our homes and temples. I have never witnessed such events in my life. We demand that the administration restore communal harmony in the country."
Reports pegged the number of attacks to at least 205. At least two Hindu leaders of the Awami League party have been killed in the violence. Several Hindu homes, temples and businesses have been vandalised.
Meanhwile, the police department in the country have ordered formation of citizen security committees in every police station limit to restore operations of the law enforcement authorities and maintain law and order. This comes in the wake of unchecked violence, theft, robbery and hijacking across the country.
