New Delhi: Amid growing concerns over the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh, the chief adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, has now assured India that he will do everything in his capacity to protect the minorities living there.
According to reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X on Friday and confirmed that Muhammad Yunus dialed him and gave an assurance regarding the safety of Hindus and the minorities in Bangladesh.
“Received a telephone call from Professor Muhammad Yunus. Exchanged views on the prevailing situation. Reiterated India’s support for a democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive Bangladesh. He assured protection, safety and security of Hindus and all minorities in Bangladesh,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
Received a telephone call from Professor Muhammad Yunus, @ChiefAdviserGoB. Exchanged views on the prevailing situation. Reiterated India’s support for a democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive Bangladesh. He assured protection, safety and security of Hindus and all…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2024
India Is Worried About Hindus In Bangladesh: PM Modi
The assurance from the interim Bangladesh government came a day after PM Modi, in his Independence Day speech, expressed grave concern over the situation there and expressed hope that normalcy would return to the violence-hit Asian nation soon.
The PM, while addressing the nation from the historic Red Fort, said that nearly 140 crore Indians were concerned over the safety of Hindus and minorities in the neigh-bouring country.
Muhammad Yunus Reaches Out To Hindus In Bangladesh Amid Unrest
On Tuesday, Yunus had reached out to Hindus in Bangladesh when he visited Dhakeshwari temple in the capital Dhaka. He promised to punish those who attacked minorities during the recent violence after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, during his visit to the historic Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka in Dhaka, assured the minorities in Bangladesh of their safety and security in the country.
“Rights are equal for everyone. We are all one people with one right. Do not make any distinctions among us. Please, assist us. Exercise patience, and later judge — what we were able to do and not. If we fail, then criticise us,” Prof Yunus was quoted as saying by Bangladesh newspaper Daily Star.
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“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. That is why, such issues arise. institutional arrangements need to be fixed,” he added.
According to the reports, Yunus met with representatives of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee, as well as officials from the temple management board. Prof Yunus was accompanied by Law Adviser Asif Nazrul and Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain.
Yunus also urged the Hindu community people to consider themselves children of the soil. “You simply say that you are human, a citizen of Bangladesh, and this is your constitutional right that must be ensured. Just demand this, nothing more,” Prof Yunus was quoted as saying.
Growing Attack On Hindus After Sheikh Hasina’s Exit
Members of the Bengali Hindu community in Bangladesh have faced attacks following the ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to Delhi from Dhaka after student protests against job quotas turned violent.
Irate mobs and miscreants have attacked Hindus across Bangladesh during the recent period of unrest as many view the Bengali Hindu community as sympathetic to Awami League, Sheikh Hasina’s party.
Prof Muhammad Yunus’s outreach could be seen as an effort to calm frayed nerves in the minority community. Recently several Hindu groups protested the violence against their community. Protests were reported from Bangladesh and cities like Toronto and London.
