Yunus preaches unity, reaches out to Hindus

Dhaka, NT Bureau: Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday reached out to the distressed Hindu community as he visited a centuriesold temple, where he urged them to "exercise patience" and assured them that his government would punish those who attacked the minority members.

The economist, who took charge as the Chief Advisor of the government on August 8 amid violence and vandalism, visited the Dhakeshwari temple - one of the prominent Shakti peethas - in Dhaka and said each one's rights should be ensured and blamed "institutional decay" for the predicament that his country has fallen into.

His visit comes on a day when the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance said that the minority community faced attacks in 278 locations across 48 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5 and termed it as an "assault on the Hindu religion."

"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.

"In our democratic aspirations, we should not be seen as Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists, but as human beings. The root of all problems lies in the decay of institutional arrangements. That is why such issues arise. Institutional arrangements need to be fixed," said Yunus, who was accompanied by Law Adviser Asif Nazrul and Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain.

On Monday, Hossain's ministry set up a hotline asking people to provide information about attacks on temples, churches or any other religious institutions.

Ousted PM Hasina faces murder charges

Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and six others, including two senior ministers of her cabinet and the sacked police chief, would face trial on murder charges, court officials said.

The murder case filed against 76-year-old Hasina is the first so far against her since she resigned and fled to India on August 5.

She and six others have been named in the case over the death of a grocery shop owner during last month's violent clashes that led to the fall of her government.