Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman called for peace, unity, and restraint, declaring that the country belongs equally to people of all regions and faiths — Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians.
Rahman, son of former PM Khaleda Zia, arrived in Bangladesh from London amid heightened political tension and social unease. "The time has come for all of us to build the country together," Rahman said. "This country belongs to people of the hills and the plains, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians. We want to build a safe Bangladesh, where every woman, man and child can leave home and return safely".
His remarks came on a day when the news of another Hindu named Amrit Mondal - allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union - was reported by local media.
Last week, a 25-year-old Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, was brutally killed in a mob lynching over false blasphemy accusations by a Muslim coworker at his factory. The mob killed Das and then hung his body from a tree before setting it on fire.
Hasina slams interim government
Former Prime Minister and President of the Bangladesh Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, slammed the "illegal" interim government in the country headed by Muhammad Yunus for perpetrating unspeakable atrocities against non-Muslims.
In a message to the Awami League supporters on the occasion of Christmas, Hasina stated that the Yunus government has set "horrific precedents" such as burning religious minorities to death.
Since the interim government assumed power, Bangladesh has witnessed a series of violent incidents targeting minorities, particularly Hindus. India has also repeatedly voiced concern over the safety of minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh.
