Anxiety gripped the Hindu community in Bangladesh as Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina resigned from her position as Prime Minister, and violence erupted there over a quota-related issue that also fast developed into large-scale protests in Chittagong, a port city. Protesters hit the streets, demanding protection for life, properties, and places of worship; many asserted, "Bangladesh is our motherland and we won't go anywhere."
It has come to notice that Hindus in Bangladesh have become the victims of widespread and focused violence. The UN has come to notice and urged the interim Bangladeshi government, led by Mohammed Yunus, to take proper measures for protecting its minorities.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus, who took office Thursday as head of Bangladesh's interim government, has strongly condemned the attacks on minority communities, terming them as "heinous).".
Recently, while speaking at a university in Bangladesh, Yunus told students, "Are they not the people of this country? You have been able to save this country; can't you save some families? They are my brothers… we fought together, and we will stay together.".
On Sunday, massive protests were carried out by Hindus and other minorities under the banner of 'Bangladesh Hindu, Buddha, Christian Unity Group' against the continuing violence on Hindus in Bangladesh. The call for protest came a day after Sheikh Hasina's resignation following violent protests on August 5 and her eventual fleeing of the country. Hindus in Bangladesh have traditionally been supporters of the ruling party, Hasina's Awami League.
There were placards in the rally that read, "Our soil, our mother is Bangladesh. We will never leave our mother" and "Save Bangladeshi Hindu Society. Save Hindus!" The march was attended by large numbers of various types of minorities, and many were seen waving the national flag of Bangladesh alongside a saffron flag with Lord Ram and 'Jai Shri Ram' written on it.
He has also appealed to the students, who spearhead these demonstrations, to save Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist families from any form of destruction. Protesters in Chittagong have also been holding banners, questioning authorities over the demolition of their temples, "We want answers. Why is this happening to us? We want to live in peace. Let us live," and, "Why are our sisters and mothers physically harassed?
Since 5 August, at least 232 people have been killed in a series of attacks and other violence across the country. More than 205 incidents of violence against minorities were reported in 52 districts after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government. More than 100 Hindus and other minorities have died across the country since the fall of the previous regime.
Thousands-strong minorities of Chittagong came out to express their anger, anxiety, and hopes for a resolution. One of the placards expressing these sentiments read, 'AMAR SONAR BANGLA', the very national anthem of Bangladesh composed by the great Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, to contrast the whole of the national pride against the turmoil that has now sunk the country into.
