Bangladesh Tuesday acknowledged 88 incidents of communal violence against minorities, primarily Hindus, following the ouster of then-premier Sheikh Hasina in August.
Interim government head Muhammad Yunus' press secretary Shafiqul Alam said 70 people have been arrested in those incidents.
He made the disclosure a day after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri raised regrettable incidents of attacks on minorities and expressed India's concerns, among others relating to safety and welfare of minorities, in his meetings with the leadership of Bangladesh.
As many as 88 cases have been lodged in incidents involving minorities from August 5 to October 22, Alam told the media.
"The number of cases and arrests is likely to increase as new incidents of violence have also been reported in (northeastern Sunamganj, (central) Gazipur, and other areas," he said.
He added that there might be cases where some victims were members of the previous ruling party.The government has so far insisted that other than a few incidents, Hindus were not attacked because of their faiths.
"Some attacks targeted individuals who were former members of the ruling party or they were the result of personal disputes. Nevertheless, since violence occurred, the police are taking appropriate action," he said.
Alam said that details regarding the incidents that took place after October 22 will be shared soon.
There have been a spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities, and attacks on temples in Bangladesh in the last few weeks that triggered strong concerns in New Delhi.
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