Asserting that the assaults on Hindu temples and non secular websites are a part of a “troubling sample”, he stated it mirrored an “anti-minority sentiment more and more intertwined with extremist rhetoric, jeopardizing each secular ideas and the protection of spiritual minorities”.
In the meantime, not less than 30 suspects have been detained in Bangladesh’s Chattogram metropolis for his or her alleged involvement within the killing of an assistant public prosecutor on Tuesday throughout clashes between safety personnel and followers of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, who can also be the spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote. Das was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal Worldwide Airport on Monday as he was about to fly to Chattogram to hitch a rally. He’s charged with sedition.
On Tuesday, the Exterior Affairs Ministry in a press release expressed “deep concern” over the “arrest and denial of bail” to Das. “This incident follows the a number of assaults on Hindus and different minorities by extremist parts in Bangladesh,” it stated.
There are “a number of documented instances” of arson and looting of minorities’ properties and enterprise institutions, in addition to theft and vandalism and desecration of deities and temples, the MEA flagged. “It’s unlucky that whereas the perpetrators of those incidents stay at giant, expenses ought to be pressed towards a non secular chief presenting authentic calls for by way of peaceable gatherings,” the assertion stated. Mahmud, who was one of many senior-most members of Sheikh Hasina’s ministry until it was ousted on August 5 following a pupil rebellion, expressed hope that the brand new Trump administration within the US would push for “free and honest elections in Bangladesh and stage taking part in discipline for all events on the earliest”, stressing {that a} democratic Bangladesh would contribute to regional peace and safety.
The previous International Minister additionally raised issues concerning the resurgence of extremist factions within the political vacuum left by Hasina’s administration, pointing to the “heightened actions” of the Pakistan Embassy in Dhaka as proof of overseas involvement in stoking unrest, claiming that, “Pakistan is carefully aligned with a few of these extremist teams.”
“The anti-India rhetoric by the interim authorities and the rise of fundamentalist forces are utterly associated and interlinked. Those that are a part of this interim authorities, main it and supporting it, in case you examine their background you’ll get to know the reality. These are all correlated,” he claimed.
Mahmud painted a grim image of the scenario going through non secular minorities in Bangladesh, with assaults on Hindu and Buddhist temples changing into alarmingly frequent.
“Each nook of the nation has seen some type of aggression towards minorities, particularly the Hindus,” the 61-year-old politician stated in a telephonic interview.
He accused the interim authorities, led by economist-turned-politician Yunus, of failing to supply safety to those communities, which he attributed to an increase in fundamentalist sentiment and focused violence towards non-Muslim teams.
“Up to now three months, the nation has witnessed a number of horrific assaults on temples and minorities. Not a single efficient measure has been taken by the federal government to stop these occurrences,” he claimed.
Mahmud underscored that the rise in violence towards Hindus and assaults on temples seems strongly correlated with the uptick in anti-India rhetoric.
“Those that stand towards secular politics at the moment are appearing with impunity,” he stated.
In an interview with PTI in September, Muhammad Yunus claimed that the difficulty of assaults on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh is “overhyped,” stating that these assaults are extra political than communal, arising from the notion that the majority Hindus supported the now-deposed Awami League regime.
Mahmud strongly refuted Muhammad Yunus’ declare, saying:”The difficulty will not be a matter of political notion, however an actual and rising risk to the protection and safety of spiritual minorities,” including that such feedback downplay the gravity of the scenario and ignore the rising violence towards Hindus.
He known as out the “fundamentalist forces” that he believes are being given free rein underneath Yunus’s administration.
“Strengthening of those forces is harmful for Bangladesh’s secular material,” he asserted, warning that anti-India sentiments have traditionally gained traction every time extremist teams have gained floor in Bangladesh.
Traditionally, Hindus made up about 22 p.c of Bangladesh’s inhabitants throughout the 1971 Liberation Battle. As we speak, they signify roughly 8 per cent as a result of socio-political marginalization and sporadic violence.
Expressing issues concerning the risks of unchecked fundamentalism, Mahmud stated, “Some individuals are making an attempt to show Bangladesh right into a ‘second Afghanistan’ by exploiting the present instability.”
