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Dhaka: Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and six others, including two senior ministers of her cabinet and the sacked police chief, have been charged with murder. The case was lodged on charges of killing a grocery shop owner in police firing on July 19 during a street march in support of the students' movement.
While Hasina fled to India, the two ministers are believed to have slipped out of the country hours before her resignation; the whereabouts of the police officers remain unknown. Later in the day, Sheikh Hasina released a statement through her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy who posted it on X.
In her first comments after leaving Dhaka, she demanded that rioters in the country be punished. She has also sought justice for the vandal attack on the statue of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was also the Founding Father of Bangladesh. After paying respects to her father, she turned to the present day and remarked that the dance of destruction across the country in the name of protest has also led to many deaths and called for an investigation into the role of those involved.
Chief Advisor Of The Interim Govt, Muhammad Yunus Visits Temple
On Tuesday, Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor of the interim government, said that establishing human rights and freedom of speech remains one of his prime goals.
"Everyone has equal rights in the country. There is no discrimination. Please be patient and judge us later on the basis of what we did and what we didn't. If we fail, then criticise," Yunus was quoted as saying by the local media during his visit to the Dhakeswari National Temple.
Interim Govt Sets Up Hotline After Attack On Minority Communities & Their Places Of Worship
The interim government has set up a hotline asking people to provide information about attacks on Hindu temples, churches or any other religious institutions, amid reports of vandalisation of religious places, businesses and properties of minorities following Hasina's ouster. Following Younus' visit, a significant meeting was held between representatives of the Muslim community and the Hindu minority at the temple. The apex body of Hindus in Bangladesh on Tuesday said the minority Hindu community continued to face attacks and threats.
Palash Kanti Dey, the Alliance's spokesperson and executive secretary said: "The incidents of vandalism, looting, arson, land grabbing, and threats to leave the country have been repeatedly inflicted on the Hindu community due to the shifting political landscape."
"This is not just an attack on individuals but an assault on the Hindu religion," Dey alleged during a press conference here.
The press conference came a day after they made seven demands to the government, including a judicial inquiry into recent attacks on Hindu communities, the creation of a minority protection act and commission, and the restoration of temples and homes at public expense. Incidentally, Bangladesh's inflation in July reached a 12-year high at 11.66 per cent, according to the country's bureau of statistics. The inflation was 9.72 per cent in June, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
Indian Visa Centre Opens
The Indian visa application centre here resumed "limited operations" on Tuesday. In a press release, it was stated that applicants should arrive at the centre only after receiving a text message to collect their passports. Indian FMCG companies with operations in violence-hit Bangladesh say their business in the neighbouring country is slowly returning to normalcy after being shut for about a week.
