Citizens of Bangladesh will not be discriminated against on the basis of their religion or political beliefs, Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, said on Sunday (August 25, 2024). Delivering a televised address to the nation ahead of the national holiday on the occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, Prof. Yunus assured that his government would deliver on the promises made to the students and the common people who overthrew the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and pledged to hold elections after a nationwide “political consultation”.
“We will not discriminate against anyone for following a different religion or for having a different political opinion. We want to include all members of the country into one family,” Prof. Yunus said speaking in Bangla and added, “Religious minorities, tribes and other marginalised communities are equal citizens of the ‘new’ Bangladesh and they will have equal rights.”
The speech telecast at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday (August 25, 2024) is symbolically significant in the backdrop of recent reports of attacks against places of worship and property belonging to the minority religious groups in Bangladesh. Sri Krishna Janmashtami along with Bijoya Dashami, Christmas, Good Friday, and Buddha Purnima are some of the religious events of minority groups that Bangladesh marks as national holidays.
Preparation for Janmashtami is underway in Hindu temples and institutions in Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh. Programmes are also scheduled to be held by Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee at the Dhakeshwari National Temple which is the most important Hindu religious institution in Dhaka. This is expected to be followed by a special Janmashtami procession in the city.
Bangladesh’s communal harmony had become the focus after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5. After Ms. Hasina fled the country in a military aircraft, there were reports of attacks on minority religious groups that drew attention from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who mentioned the matter in his August 15 speech from the Red Fort in Delhi. Protection of minority rights was discussed between Prof. Yunus and Mr. Modi on August 16.
Prof. Yunus also addressed directly for the first time the question of the tenure of the caretaker government and said that the caretaker dispensation will be in charge as long as the people of Bangladesh want them to implement the agenda of the student agitators who have laid out a plan for corruption-free governance. “We are not the people from the governing class. We came here responding to the plea of the student protesters. The date of the election will be decided through a political consultation. We will leave when people want us to leave,” Prof. Yunus said indicating that the interim government will be around till a transparent election is held in the country.
Ever since taking over on August 7, the Yunus-led interim administration has been unable to contain the demonstrations and protests that have erupted across Dhaka making daily activities difficult for lakhs of people. He appealed to the agitators to roll back their protests and go home saying, “We have noticed that you are holding protests near our offices that are creating hurdles in implementing our tasks. Please let us perform our duties without hurdles.”
A team from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is currently visiting Bangladesh to discuss the violence that took place during and after the uprising that led to the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina. The team is being led by Rory Mungoven, Chief of the Asia-Pacific region at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Along with the Hasina government’s excess use of state power to crush the uprising, the visiting team is also expected to look into the allegations of communal violence.
