More than 230 people have been killed in Bangladesh in violence that has erupted in the South Asian nation since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on Monday. Some groups of protesters have heavily targeted minorities, mainly Hindus, the report said.

Bangladesh Unrest: There have been more than 200 documented attacks on Hindus and members of other minority communities in 52 districts of Bangladesh since August 5, following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government that sparked unrest in the country, reports the Bangladesh-based Hindu. Organizations have disclosed.

The figures were presented in an open letter by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Ekta Parishad and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad on Friday to the newly elected head of state of Bangladesh, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, according to The Daily Star newspaper.

Over 205 attacks on Hindus, other minorities

According to statistics, at least 205 attacks on members of minority communities, especially Hindus, have been documented in 52 districts since Monday, when 76-year-old Hasina resigned and fled to India after widespread protests against her government sparked by the controversial quota system. Jobs, who later led to mass protests against her government and violent protests, which left more than 100 people dead.

“We seek protection because our lives are in peril. We stay awake at night to protect our houses and temples. I have never seen anything like this in my life. We demand that the government restore communal harmony in the country,” said Nirmal Rosario, one of the three presidents of the Ekta Parishad, according to the letter.

In a letter to Yunus, Rosario urged the 84-year-old Nobel laureate to make resolving the crisis and ending the violence a top priority, adding that the situation in Bangladesh is rapidly deteriorating.

Widespread communal violence, minorities worried

The letter, signed by Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council General Secretary Rana Dasgupta and Bangladesh Pujaujpan Parishad President Basudev Dhar, hailed Yunus as an unprecedented student and leader of a new age born out of a public-led mass movement. Society and Reform.

“As the people's victory marches towards its destination, we see with sorrow and heavy hearts that a conspiracy is being hatched to tarnish this victory by committing unprecedented violence against minority communities,” the letter said.

It said the ongoing sectarian violence has created widespread fear, anxiety and uncertainty among Bangladesh's minorities and has led to international condemnation.

Quoting the letter, the report said, “We demand an immediate end to this situation.

'Hindus taking shelter in other people's houses'

Ekta Parishad presidium member Kajal Devanath said, “Those who attack minorities should be brought to justice. Attacking a minority person for political reasons is not acceptable. Whoever commits a crime must be judged, but burning houses and looting will not bring justice.

“I too am being forced to stay at a friend's house,” he said, asserting that many members of the Hindu community are now taking shelter in other people's homes.

Yunus took over, making stability a top priority

On Friday, Yunus announced his 16-member portfolio of advisers after being sworn in as chief adviser a day earlier – the equivalent of a prime minister.

Yunus' first task was to bring stability to Bangladesh when he responded to a call by student protesters to temporarily lead the country after weeks of deadly anti-government protests against Hasina's government.

Adviser on Foreign Affairs Hussain said restoration of law and order is the interim government's top priority at the moment and others will return to the track once the first target is achieved.

23 people died in the anti-Hasina agitation

More than 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in violence that erupted in the South Asian country after Hasina's government fell on Monday, according to official figures, bringing the death toll to 560 since anti-quota protests began in mid-July. .

Several Hindu temples, homes and businesses were vandalized, women were attacked and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with Hasina's Awami League party in Bangladesh were killed in the violence after they fled the country, two community leaders in Dhaka said. y

On Thursday, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said he stood against any ethnically based attacks amid violence against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.

“We have made it clear that we want to ensure that the violence that has been going on in Bangladesh for the past few weeks is reduced. Certainly, we stand against any racial attacks or racially based incitement to violence,” Haq said.

(with PTI input)