Dhaka/IBNS: A large number of Hindu homes, temples have come under attack by violent mobs in unruly Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina fled the country resigning as the Prime Minister giving in to the weeks-long aggressive anti-quota protests in Dhaka, media reports said.
Hindus, who account for 8 percent of Bangladeshs 17 crore population, were apparently the supporters of Hasinas Awami League largely.
The Awami League has maintained close ties with India flagging its secular image contrary to its opposition parties that have remained more hardliners.
Dreadful Scene at a Hindu Students from Dhaka Bangladesh:
Watch how panic stricken Hindu students tried to escape to save their lives from the attack perpetrated by Jamaat-e-Islami. See how many of them fell from cornices and parapets!
https://t.co/hmQqnVHZux
Sourish Mukherjee (@me_sourish_) July 22, 2024
In one of the recent instances of attacks on Hindus, a mob set folk musician of the country, Rahul Anandas residence on fire in the capital city, Dhaka.
The mob attacked, looted and torched Rahuls house on Monday afternoon.
Reports claim Rahul, his wife and their son could manage to escape from the attack unharmed.
Among the items that the mob looted were about 3,000 musical instruments which were present in the house.
A horrifying incident occurred in Dhakas Dhanmondi, where an Islamist mob attacked the 140-year-old house of eminent Bangladeshi singer Rahul Ananda, who belongs to the Hindu minority community. Over 3,000 musical instruments were burned to ashes, house furniture was looted, and pic.twitter.com/gTlb1Pt5LF
Girish Bharadwaj (@Girishvhp) August 7, 2024
As soon as they broke down the gate, they started ravaging the house, taking whatever they could find for themselves. They took everything – from furniture and mirrors to valuables. After that, they torched the whole house along with Rahul das musical instruments, Rahuls close family source told The Daily Star.
Later on Monday, the Dhanuka Manasa Bari temple in Shariatpur was attacked by a violent mob.
The mob destroyed the idols of Radha-Krishna and razed the temple to the ground, The Daily Star reported.
After attacking the temple, they surrounded our homes and were going to attack us. The army intervened and saved us, Gobindo Chakrabarty, the temple committees general secretary said.
Journalist Pradip Kumar Bhowmik, who used to work for Daily Khoborpatra, died in an assault by a mob at Rayganj Press Club in Sirajganj, reports claimed.
BREAKING:
Islamists are setting the Hindu village Jayganj (Dinajpur District) on fire.
The attack is taking place in northern Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/an3h96rK1X
Visegrd 24 (@visegrad24) August 6, 2024
In some positive images, Hindus and Muslims were seen guarding the places of worship from the onslaught by the mob, which is on the rampage across the country.
India monitoring the situation in Bangladesh
While India is keeping an eye on illegal migration, there is also concern about the condition of the Indians living in Bangladesh and the minorities of the Muslim-majority nation.
In a statement to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Indias External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said there are around 19,000 Indian nationals living in Bangladesh, around 9,000 of whom are students. The bulk of students have already returned to India in the month of July on the advice of the High Commission.
The ministry, he said, has been in close and continuous touch with the Indian community in Bangladesh through our diplomatic missions.
Muhammad Yunus appointed interim government chief
Nobel Laureate and Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus has been appointed as the chief adviser of the interim government, days after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power amid violent anti-government protests which left the nation paralysed.
The decision came after a meeting on the formation of the interim government between key organisers of the anti-discriminatory movement and President Mohammed Shahabuddin, The Daily Star reported.
The meeting was attended by the head of the armed forces.
The political situation of the country became uncertain and a leadership vacuum was created after Hasina resigned and fled to India amid severe anti-government protests in the nation which initially began with students demonstrating across the nation against job quota.
Sheikh Hasinas longtime political rival and BNP chief Khaleda Zia was released from prison on Tuesday.
Following her release, Zia expressed concern over nationwide violence, vandalism and looting of state resources during the demonstrations which have been taking place for weeks.
