Dhaka: Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has urged members of the Hindu community to see themselves as citizens of the country first, rather than as a religious minority. Speaking in an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan, Yunus said this approach would strengthen social unity and ensure equal protection for all.
“My message to them, when I meet community leaders, is don’t go back and say, ‘I’m a Hindu, so protect me.’ Always say, ‘I’m a citizen of this country. I’m entitled to all the protection the state is supposed to give me,’” Yunus said during the interview. “Then you have broader coverage.”
During the interview, Yunus rejected allegations of communal violence against Hindus in Bangladesh as "fake news". He also denied international media reports about attacks on temples and Hindu leaders following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government last year.
When Hasan cited documented cases of mob violence and the arrest of a Hindu monk for hoisting a religious flag, Yunus repeated that these were part of a “misinformation campaign.”
16 workers killed in garment factory fire in DhakaA fire at a garment factory in Bangladesh and a chemical warehouse adjacent to it killed at least 16 people and injured several others this week, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue efforts continued, Reuters reported, citing officials. The fire broke out around midday on the third floor of the seven-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area, before spreading to a chemical warehouse storing bleaching powder, plastic, and hydrogen peroxide, Talha Bin Jashim, a fire department official, said. Bangladesh’s interim government head Muhammad Yunus expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy. He directed authorities to investigate the cause of the fire and to ensure that victims and their families receive all necessary assistance. |
