Sheikh Hasina Blasts Yunus Government over Mob Killings of Hindus in Bangladesh

Dhaka: Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has strongly condemned the recent spate of attacks targeting religious minorities in Bangladesh, accusing the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus of perpetrating atrocities against non-Muslims. Hasina, now based in India after being forced to leave Dhaka in August 2024, described the current administration as illegitimate and claimed it is using its unlawful authority to carry out heinous acts, including setting people on fire.

The criticism comes in the wake of two brutal mob lynchings of Hindu youths within a single week. On Wednesday night in the village of Hosen Danga in Rajbari district, a 29-year-old Hindu man, Amrit Mandal, was beaten to death by a mob over alleged extortion. Earlier, on 18 December, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, a factory worker near Dhaka, was accused of blasphemy and brutally murdered by a mob. His body was tied to a tree and set ablaze, sparking outrage worldwide.

Hasina issued a message on Christmas, denouncing Yunus’s government as discriminatory and warning that the people of Bangladesh will not allow this dark chapter to continue. “This illegitimate regime will soon be uprooted by the citizens,” she asserted.

International Concern
The violence has drawn global attention, with the United Nations expressing serious concern over attacks on religious minorities. UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, urged the Bangladeshi government to ensure the safety of citizens of all faiths. Governments in the United States, India, and several other countries have also condemned the killings, highlighting the escalating crisis in Bangladesh.

The recent deaths, particularly that of Dipu Chandra Das, have spotlighted the vulnerability of religious minorities under the current administration, raising fears of a widening pattern of targeted violence.