Blitz Bureau
FORMER Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused the interim government’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus of being the “mastermind of mass killings” and orchestrating attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Addressing an Awami League event in New York virtually, Hasina slammed Yunus for allegedly targeting Hindu temples, including ISKCON sites, and other religious places of the minorities in Bangladesh.
“Today, I have been accused of mass killings. In reality, it is Muhammad Yunus who is responsible for mass killings through a deliberate plan along with his student coordinators. They are the masterminds,” she asserted. The minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, have come under a severe attack by Islamist elements in Bangladesh after the formation of the interim government.
“Teachers and police are being attacked and murdered. Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists are being attacked. Many churches and temples are being targeted. Why are minorities being attacked?” she questioned, condemning the violence.
She also mentioned Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman’s recent remarks where he had suggested that with continued violence, the interim government in Bangladesh would not last long. Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam – the leaders of the so-called ‘Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’ that led to the fall of government headed by Hasina in August – have been spewing venom against Hindus in the country while calling for an immediate ban on ISKCON Bangladesh, accusing the spiritual organisation of “inciting unrest”.
Last week, after the Bangladeshi authorities arrested and jailed Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote who is also associated with Iskcon Bangladesh, Hasina had strongly condemned the “tortures” inflicted on common people by the interim government in Bangladesh and called for “immediate release” of the Hindu priest. “A top leader of the Sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested, he must be released immediately,” said Hasina.
India wants constructive ties
HIGH Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Pranay Verma on December 2 stated that New Delhi aims to build a positive, stable, and constructive relationship with Dhaka. Speaking briefly to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, the High Commissioner emphasised that India is committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both countries for peace, security, and development.
The envoy described the relationship between the two nations as “multifaceted and wide-ranging,” adding that it cannot be reduced to a single issue or agenda. He further stated, “There are many interdependencies, and we want to build on those interdependencies for mutual benefit.”
