Bangladesh Establishes Hotline, Encourages Public to Report Information if a Religious Place of Worship is Attacked.
Aug. 13, 2024, 1:08 p.m.
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Bangladesh's caretaker government has established a hotline for citizens to report incidents of violence against Hindu temples, churches, or any other religious institutions. This comes amid reports of vandalism targeting religious sites, businesses, and properties belonging to minority groups following the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has urged the public to share information about attacks on religious institutions, according to the Bengali language daily Prothom Alo on Tuesday.
”If a temple, church, pagoda, or any other religious institution is attacked or vandalized by perpetrators, we request that you report this information by calling 01766-843809 or sending a text message,” the publication reported, citing a notification released by the ministry on Monday.
Advertisement The interim government's Religious Affairs Advisor, AFM Khalid Hossain, has denounced recent attacks on religious institutions belonging to minority communities.
During a press conference at the secretariat on Monday, Khalid acknowledged that complaints regarding attacks on minority homes and religious locations have been received. He assured continued support for these communities.
Hossain stated that deputy commissioners are creating an inventory of the damage.
On Tuesday, the interim government's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus reached out to the affected Hindu community members and promised them that his administration would hold those responsible for attacks on the minorities accountable.
Yunus, 84, who assumed the position of Chief Advisor on Thursday, visited the Dhakeshwari National Temple where he encouraged the people to “exercise patience” before evaluating his government.
”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 criticize us,” Yunus said.
He exchanged greetings with the leaders of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee, as well as officials from the temple management board and worshippers.
"We extended our congratulations to Dr Yunus on his appointment. Our meeting with him was very pleasant," said Basudeb Dhar, the President of Puja Udjapan Parishad, when asked about the meeting with the chief adviser.
Since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, members of minority communities in Bangladesh have faced at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts until the weekend, according to two Hindu organizations — Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad — in the country.
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