Biman Mukherji

My Take | Bangladesh’s turmoil deepens as Nobel laureate Yunus struggles to restore order

Muhammad Yunus faces challenges in restoring order and reviving Bangladesh’s economy amid ethnic tensions and urgent calls for new elections

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Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, speaks to members of the media at the COP29 UN Climate Summit on November 13. Photo: AP

Biman Mukherji

Published: 10:30am, 29 Nov 2024

The ouster of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her replacement by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus at the head of an interim government had stirred hopes of a return to democracy and an economic revival in the South Asian country.

However, recent developments have dashed these hopes, and Dhaka now risks descending into renewed violence.

Prominent Hindu leader Krishna Das Prabhu, who has been organising rallies to demand security for the minority community, was detained this month on charges of sedition. Clashes erupted between Hindu protesters and police, as well as factions of the Muslim majority, resulting in one lawyer’s death and numerous injuries.

Almost 91 per cent of Bangladesh’s population is Muslim, with Hindus making up most of the rest. Hindus and members of other minority groups report increased attacks since Hasina fled to India, though officials claim the threat is exaggerated.

Bangladeshi Hindu leader Krishna Das Prabhu shows a victory sign as he is taken in a police van after a court ordered him detained pending further proceedings in Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh on November 26. Photo: AP

The truth likely lies somewhere in the middle. However, the interim government clearly needs to deliver on its primary mandate: restoring law and order and preparing for fresh elections to establish the next government.