Muhammad Yunus meets Bangladeshi Hindus, calls for patience before judging his government

Dhaka: Reaching out to the distressed Hindu community members at the famous Dhakeshwari Temple here, Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday urged the people to “exercise patience” before judging his government's role.

Yunus, who took charge as the Chief Advisor of the interim government on August 8 amid ongoing violence and vandalism, including against the minorities, also said each one’s rights should be ensured and blamed "institutional decay" for the predicament that his country has fallen into.

The meeting comes close on the heels of attacks on the minority Hindu population, vandalisation of their business and properties and devastation of Hindu temples hours in the violence that ensued for days following the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5.

Dhakeshwari temple is one of the prominent shakti peethas.

“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,” Yunus was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.

Earlier ahead of the weekend, thousands of minority Hindu community members staged massive protest rallies in Bangladesh's capital and the north-eastern port city of Chattagram on Friday and Saturday demanding protection amid nationwide vandalism that saw attacks on temples and their households and businesses.

Demanding special tribunals to expedite trials of those who persecute the minorities, allocation of 10 per cent parliamentary seats for the minorities, and enactment of a minority protection law among others, the Hindu demonstrators’ rally blocked traffic for over three hours at Shahbagh in the central part of Dhaka on Saturday.

On Saturday itself, Yunus had condemned attacks on the minority communities in the violence-hit nation, terming them as “heinous” and had urged the youth to protect all Hindu, Christian, and Buddhists.

Members of minority communities in Bangladesh faced at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5 till the weekend, according to two Hindu organisations -- Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad -- in the country.

On Tuesday, after reaching the Dhakeshwari temple, Yunus exchanged greetings with the leaders of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee, as well as officials from the temple management board and devotees, The Daily Star said.

“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,” Yunus added.

Prof Yunus was accompanied by Law Adviser Asif Nazrul and Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain.

President Puja Udjapan Parishad Basudeb Dhar, its General Secretary Santosh Sharma, President of the Sarbajanin Puja Committee Jayanta Kumar Dev, General Secretary Tapas Chandra Pal, and Presidium Member of the Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council Kajol Debnath and Joint General Secretary Manindra Kumar Nath were also present.

Dhar described the meeting with Yunus as “cordial.” Clad in his trademark kurta-pyjama, Yunus sat along with his officials and interacted with the Hindu community in the temple premises.