Bangladesh: Yunus govt slaps sedition charges against protestors demanding safety of minorities

Hundreds of people marched in Bangladesh’s capital on Saturday (November 2), calling for protections for Hindus and other minorities who say they have faced violence and intimidation since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Organisers of Saturday’s protest called for a law to protect minorities and for a guaranteed minimum level of minority representation in government, among other demands.

Tensions escalated earlier this week when sedition charges were filed against 19 people who had attended a minority rights rally in Chittagong. The group was accused of disrespecting the Bangladeshi national flag by hoisting a saffron flag, a symbol of the Hindu faith, above it.

“Framing our leaders with false charges, like sedition, has made us sceptical of the government’s intentions,” protester Chiranjan Goswami told AFP.

Attacks on minorities: Are they political or religious?

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The removal of Hasina in a student-led uprising in August sparked a wave of reprisals against Hindus, widely seen as strong supporters of her government.

The caretaker government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which assumed power after Hasina’s departure, has condemned attacks on minorities but suggested that many incidents are politically rather than religiously motivated.

Since then, regular protests have demanded that Yunus’ administration, an advisory council tasked with implementing democratic reforms and preparing for new elections, take stronger action to protect minority communities.

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“It’s deeply regrettable that the council of advisors do not acknowledge the sufferings minorities have endured,” Hindu civic leader Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari told AFP. “I have witnessed the atrocities against them – their temples, businesses, and homes.”

State of Hindus in Bangladesh

Hindus make up around eight per cent of the population in mostly Muslim Bangladesh, where incidents of violence have also been reported at Sufi shrines, reportedly targeted by Islamists opposed to alternative forms of Islamic practice.

Saturday’s demonstration in Dhaka followed a larger rally in Chittagong on Friday (November 1), which drew around 10,000 people. Minority leaders have pledged to hold more protests in the coming weeks.

With inputs from agencies