Bangladesh: Muhammad Yunus reaches out to Hindus with temple visit, vows safety

Dhaka, August 13

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, today visited the historic Dhakeshwari Temple here and promised safety and security of minorities in the country.

To instil confidence in these communities, especially Hindus who have borne the brunt of violence after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as PM, the interim government has set up a hotline asking people to provide information about attacks on Hindu temples, churches or any other religious institutions.

This comes as Hasina and six others, including two of her senior ministers and the sacked police chief, were booked over the death of a grocery shop owner during the violent clashes. This is the first case against the 76-year-old leader after she fled to India last week.

At the temple, Yunus met representatives of two puja committees as well as officials from its management board. “Rights are equal for everyone. Do not make any distinctions among us. Exercise patience, and later judge — what we were able to do and not. If we fail, then criticise us,” Prof Yunus sought to placate the community.

“In our democratic aspirations, we should not be seen as Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists, but as human beings.

Our rights should be ensured. The root of all problems lies in the decay of institutional arrangements, which need to be fixed,” he stressed. Yunus also urged the Hindu community to consider themselves children of the soil. “You are human, a citizen of Bangladesh, and this is your constitutional right that must be ensured,” he stated.

He later held a meeting with representatives of the Muslim and Hindu communities at the temple, where they discussed ways towards strengthening communal harmony. Minority communities have witnessed at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts since Hasina’s ouster on August 5, two Hindu organisations have claimed. — Agencies