Rise of anti-democratic, radical outfits wreaks havoc on Bangladesh's minorities: Report

Dhaka, Sep 24 (IANS) Ahead of Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus' address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a report has highlighted that the lives of entire population in the South Asian nation has been turned into a "nightmare" as law and order has collapsed fully with increase in mob rule in absence of the security architecture. Several terror attacks on more than 450 police stations under pretext of celebration after the collapse of Awami League government has proved this, a report has revealed.

According to the report published in the Eurasia Review, Yunus' Home Advisor has embraced top terror patrons with credentials of facilitating increase of extremist outfits abusing state power as role model. In addition, globally recognised terrorist groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir have publicly campaigned for waging war on Westerners. Dreaded militant leaders connected to Al Queda affiliated outfits in Bangladesh who initiated militant attacks on liberals were released from prison and welcomed with garland.

"Unlike Yunus admirers, a few international scholars like Jeffrey D Sachs promptly projected the rise of militancy as a foregone conclusion under the new regime yet Yunus’s spin doctors discredited him as rumour peddlers. In the wake of this alert, many pointed out a raft of crafted measures rolled out by Yunus regime that emboldened Islamists, militant outfits and criminals — all that had remained as fringe groups under the iron clad rule of now deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," wrote political analyst Anjuman A Islam.

"Not to mention, the rise of these anti-democratic and intolerant outfits wreaked havoc on lives of country’s 10 per cent minorities and a staggering 50 per cent female populace. To make matter worse, a band of pro Yunus Islamists even flew to Afghanistan and projected meeting with Taliban government officials as a sort of learning achievement," it added.

The report mentioned that weeks before Yunus' address at the UNGA, the Canadian government sounded alarm for its citizens over future visit to Bangladesh. Furthermore, the Canadian government urged its citizens to exercise extra caution and the advisory even cited fears regarding militant attacks.

Thousands of pro-Yunus activists attacked and torched hundreds of police stations in Bangladesh. Reports indicate that jail break attempts were made when the police stations were targeted. Over 2,000 prisoners fled, however, some were returned and arrested. Critics claimed that the actual number of escaped militants is much more.

As new judges were appointed in Bangladesh, around 340 prisoners accused of being involved in militancy and death row convicts walked out of prison as courts approved their bail. On September 14, Yunus' Home Advisor addressed Bangladesh's former Home Minister Lutfozzaman Babar, who reportedly built an empire of terrorists and Islamists extremists as "Sir", when he walked through the corridors at the office of Home Ministry, the report stated.

"Millions from minority communities – like the Hindus, the Christians, the Sufis, the Ahmadiyyas and the Buddhists — are bearing the burnt of Islamist radicals. For decades, minorities have been part of the nation’s cultural mosaic, yet under Yunus they are facing renewed threats of violence, intimidation, and forced displacement. In past two weeks, violence inflicted mostly at shrines of Sufis, a liberal Muslim sect that historically popularised Islam in the Bengal frontier through their tolerant, syncretic ideals of coexistence and equality," wrote Islam.

"Over 100 such shrines were torched and looted in one year. Even corpse of clerics was exhumed and burnt on the street. Blasphemy became another cause of concern also. For Ahmediyya’s lives have also become miserable as hardline outfit publicly threatened to hit the street unless the community members are declared as non-muslim. Over 2500 cases of violence including killing looting and rape against minorities were documented by rights groups under Yunus’ rule.'Instead of giving due attention to our concerns, the government chose to label them as false, fabricated, and exaggerated,' minorities said, alleging the accused were 'enjoying impunity'." he added.

--IANS

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