Police clash with Muslim devotees during a protest over an alleged insult to Islam outside the country’s main Baitul Mukarram mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Miya Seppo on Monday urged the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety of minorities and ensure a fair investigation into the recent communal violence.
The UNRC tweeted to unite to strengthen inclusive tolerance in Bangladesh, Dhaka Tribune reported.
“We call on the government to ensure the safety of minorities and a fair investigation,” Seppo tweeted.
Seppo said the recent attacks on Hindus on social media “motivated by hate speech” were against the values of the Constitution and needed to be stopped.
Violence erupted after the alleged sacrilege of the Holy Quran at a Durga Puja pavilion in Kumila on October 13, forcing the government to deploy paramilitary forces in 20 districts, Dhaka Tribune reported.
Protests broke out across the country demanding justice and protection for religious minorities as fundamentalists continued to attack temples, shrines, homes and business establishments across the country.
On Monday, thousands of people from the Hindu community, students and teachers of Dhaka University and other institutions blocked the Shahbagh square in the capital to protest the attacks.
Protests were also held in Manikganj, Tangail and other districts demanding strict punishment for the attackers, Dhaka Tribune reported.
A rights group reported that there have been around 3,721 attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh in the past nine years.
The Dhaka Tribune reported that the data came from a leading rights group, the Ain O Salish Centre, which also said 2021 has been the deadliest year ever in the past five years.
The Dhaka Tribune reported at least 1,678 cases of vandalism and arson at Hindu temples, idols and places of worship in the same period, citing a report published online.
Rights activists also pointed out that the numbers do not represent the real situation as the media only covers the bigger picture that comes to light.
(with inputs from ANI)
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