Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus
Amid violence and unrest in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of PM and fled the country. Now an interim government has been formed in Bangladesh and its leader has become Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. Yunus on Saturday condemned the attacks on minority communities in the violence-hit country and called it a “heinous” crime. He urged the youth to protect all Hindu, Christian and Buddhist families from the harm of violent demonstrations and anti-establishment activities.
Let us tell you that members of minority communities in Bangladesh have faced at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in the country on August 5. Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus are trying to flee to neighboring India to escape the violence.
Muhammad Yunus appealed to the youth
Nobel laureate Yunus cautioned students at the forefront of the protests not to let their efforts be wasted by those trying to undermine their progress, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. “There are many people standing to make your efforts futile. Don’t fail this time,” he said while addressing students at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur city.
Yunus categorically condemned the attacks on minority communities in the country and described these acts as “heinous”. “Are they not the people of this country? You are able to save the country; can’t you save a few families?…You have to say – nobody can harm them. They are my brothers; we fought together, and we will live together,” Yunus said.
Bangladesh is in your hands now
Emphasising the importance of youth leadership, Yunus said, “This Bangladesh is in your hands now. You have the power to take it wherever you want. This is not a subject of research – it is a power within you.” He also urged the people of Bangladesh to emulate the way student activist Abu Sayeed stood bravely during the anti-government protests that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Yunus, who was sworn in as the head of the interim government on Thursday, met Saeed’s family members in Rangpur’s Pirganj upazila, The Daily Star newspaper reported. “We have to stand up in the same way as Abu Saeed stood… Abu Saeed’s mother is everybody’s mother. We have to protect her, protect her sisters, protect her brothers. Everyone has to do it together,” he told reporters after meeting Saeed’s family.
Abu Saeed is now in every house
Yunus said the responsibility of building a new Bangladesh rests with every Bangladeshi. “We will remember him (Abu Sayeed) through this. So, we must ensure that we do that (necessary) work.” Yunus said, “Abu Sayeed is no longer just a member of one family. He is the child of every family in Bangladesh. Children who grow up and go to school and college will know about Abu Sayeed and say to themselves, ‘I will also fight for justice. Abu Sayeed is now in every household.”
Ensure the safety of Hindus
Meanwhile, thousands of Hindu agitators, including students, blocked Shahbag Square for the second consecutive day on Saturday to protest attacks on their homes, shops and temples in different parts of the country, The Daily Star newspaper reported. They chanted slogans such as “Save Hindus,” “Why are my temples and homes being looted? We want answers,” “Hindu persecution will not continue in independent Bangladesh,” “Religion is for individuals, the state is for everyone,” “Ensure the safety of Hindus.”
Five judges including the Chief Justice resigned
In another major development, Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan and five other top judges tendered their resignations on Saturday, five days after the collapse of the Hasina regime amid massive protests on the streets and students marching towards the apex court demanding reforms in the judiciary.
Several other top officials, including Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Maqsud Kamal and Bangla Academy Director General Professor Dr Md Harun-ur-Rashid Askari, resigned from their posts in the wake of fresh protests by students and other demonstrators.
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