Muhammad Yunus visits Dhakeshwari temple amid attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh: ‘Rights equal for everyone’

Bangladesh interim government's chief advisor Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday visited a Hindu temple amid the attacks on the community in the neighbouring country.

According to a Daily Star report, the Nobel laureate visited the Dhakeshwari National Temple in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

"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," the website quoted Yunus as saying. 

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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,” Yunus was quoted as saying.

Yunus's visit to the temple comes amid attacks on Hindus, the largest minority community in Bangladesh, after its prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on August 5. 

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According to a PTI report, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad claimed that there were 205 incidents of attacks on minorities across 52 districts since the fall of Hasina government.

Hindus protest across Bangladesh

Thousands of Hindus staged protests in Dhaka and Chattagram last week demanding protection from attacks on their temples, homes and businesses. The Hindu protesters had blocked traffic for over three hours at Dhaka's Shahbag on Saturday. 

They have been demanding special courts to try those accused of persecuting minorities, 10 per cent parliamentary seats for minorities and the 
enactment of a minority protection law among others

Yunus on Saturday 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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his congratulatory message to Yunus on assuming responsibility as the interim government's chief adviser had said,“We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities."

(With agency inputs)

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