Bangladesh’s Yunus calls India’s PM Modi to assure him of safety of Hindus

Hundreds of Hindus living in Bangladesh have been trying to flee to Hindu-majority India to escape the violence

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Hindu activists in Ahmedabad, India protest the attacks on religious places of Hindus in Bangladesh. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:03pm, 16 Aug 2024

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that he received a phone call from the head of Bangladesh’s caretaker government, Muhammad Yunus, assuring New Delhi of the “protection, safety and security” of Hindus in that country.

A teacher was killed and at least 45 people injured as homes, businesses, and temples of Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh were targeted last week after prime minister Sheikh Hasina quit and fled the country following violent protests seeking her ouster.

Nobel Peace laureate Yunus, the head of the caretaker government in Dhaka, called Modi and assured him of the “protection, safety and security of Hindus and all minorities in Bangladesh”, Modi said in a post on X.

“Reiterated India’s support for a democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive Bangladesh,” Modi added.

A Hindu woman prays at the Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Hindus constitute about 8 per cent of Bangladesh’s population. Photo: AP

Hindus constitute about 8 per cent of Bangladesh’s 170 million people and have historically supported Hasina’s Awami League party, which identifies as largely secular, instead of the opposition bloc that includes a hardline Islamist party.