Volunteers take over security of minority religious places amid chaos in Bangladesh

By Faisal Mahmud

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – In a touching show of solidarity amid turbulent times, Bangladesh’s Muslim community has stepped up to protect the country’s Hindu temples and churches.

Muslim leaders and student groups are actively guarding these places of worship across the country.

As political unrest persists, student movement leaders in the capital Dhaka have taken on the responsibility of protecting Hindu temples and churches.

Anjum Ahmed, a student protester at Dhaka University, told Anadolu that "miscreants are systematically targeting various public and private institutions to discredit the students' movement."

“Some of them have targeted houses and temples of minority Hindus as well, but we are on vigilance to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Ahmed.

Even students from Islamic seminaries (madrassas) keep a vigilant eye on Hindu households and temples.

Tareque Ahmed, a seminary student, asked a few of his friends to form community security groups because there were no police on the scene to keep an eye on Hindu households for their safety.

“We want to make sure that there is no communal violence,” he said.

Over 13 million Hindus live in the South Asian country with a population of over 171 million. Besides, Buddhists and Christians are also living in the country.

Concerns over minorities' safety came amid political and social chaos in the country due to weeks of protests that led to the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government on Monday.

Hasina on Monday fled to India, which lauded minority-safety measures taken by Bangladeshi organizations.

“We are also monitoring the situation with regard to the status of minorities,” Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar told parliament on Tuesday.

“There are reports of initiatives by various groups and organizations to ensure their protection and well-being,” Jaishankar said.

According to the religiopolitical Jamaat-e-Islami party, volunteers of its student wing, Chhatra Shibir, are “guarding the temples of the Hindu brothers” to ensure that “no one can destroy communal harmony.”

“They also discussed (with) the Hindu community people about their safety and security,” the party said on X.

Jaishankar said: “We welcome that, but will naturally remain deeply concerned till law and order is visibly restored.”

A transitional government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has been named.

Yunus, who is in France, will now pick his team to govern the nation until the future course of action is decided.

*Ahmad Adil and Riyaz ul Khaliq contributed to the story from New Delhi and Istanbul