Bangladesh crisis: Muhammad Yunus visits Dhaka’s Dhakeshwari temple to allay Hindus’ fears, says ’we are all one people’

Amid the ongoing attacks on the minority Hindu population in Bangladesh, the chief adviser of the country's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, on Tuesday asked the people to “exercise patience” before judging his government's role.

Yunus’ comments came after he met the distressed Hindu community members at the famous Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka.

He also said that each person’s rights should be ensured and blamed "institutional decay" for the predicament that his country has fallen into.

Dhakeswari temple is one of the 51 famous Shakti Peethas in the Indian Subcontinent.

Yunus was appointed as the chief advisor of the interim government on August 8 amid the ongoing violence, including against the minorities.

The Bangladesh crisis deepened after its prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled to India on August 5, following the nationwide protests against her government.

“Rights are equal for everyone. We are all one people with one right. Do not make any distinctions among us. Please, assist us. Exercise patience, and later judge -- what we were able to do and not. If we fail, then criticise us,” Yunus was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.

On Tuesday, after reaching the Dhakeshwari temple, Yunus exchanged greetings with the leaders of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee, as well as officials from the temple management board and devotees, The Daily Star said.

Earlier, ahead of the weekend, thousands of minority Hindus staged massive protest rallies in Bangladesh's capital and the north-eastern port city of Chattagram on Friday and Saturday demanding protection amid nationwide vandalism that saw attacks on temples and their households and businesses.

Demanding special tribunals to expedite trials of those who persecute the minorities, allocation of 10 per cent parliamentary seats for the minorities, and enactment of a minority protection law among others, the Hindu demonstrators’ rally blocked traffic for over three hours at Shahbagh in the central part of Dhaka on Saturday.

On Saturday, Yunus had condemned attacks on the minority communities in the violence-hit nation.

He termed the attacks “heinous” and urged the youth to protect all Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists.