Bangladesh's deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has launched a sharp attack on the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, accusing it of unleashing severe repression on non-Muslims across the country. In a strongly worded Christmas message, Hasina said the group that "seized power illegally" was interfering with people's right to freely practise their faith. Hasina said the current dispensation was responsible for "unspeakable atrocities" and claimed violence against minority communities had intensified since her ouster in August last year. Referring to the recent killing of a Hindu man in Mymensingh, she said the regime had set "horrific precedents such as burning religious minorities to death," adding that she believed the people of Bangladesh would not tolerate this "dark time" for long.
Nation on edge amid rising attacks
Minority communities have reported multiple incidents of targeted violence in the past few months. Earlier this week, several organisations in Dhaka held protests against the government's alleged failure to protect vulnerable groups. Tensions continue to escalate, especially in regions where attacks on Hindu households and businesses have been reported. Hasina also expressed hope that Christmas would rekindle harmony among Bangladesh's diverse communities. "On this festive occasion of Christmas, I wish all Christian brothers and sisters happiness, peace, and prosperity," she said. "May darkness give way to dawn. May Bangladesh live forever," she added.
Osman Hadi's brother makes big claim
Meanwhile, Bangladesh's slain radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi's brother has alleged that a section within the interim government of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus plotted the killing to derail the upcoming general election. Hours after his claim, Md Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, Special Assistant (Ministry of Home Affairs) to the Chief Adviser, resigned from the position. "It is you who got Osman Hadi killed, and now you are trying to foil the election by using this as an issue. Those who are in power when Osman Hadi was killed, you won't be able to evade the responsibility," Hadi's brother Omar Hadi told a protest rally in the capital staged by Inqilab Mancha on Tuesday, as per PTI.
Omar said that the government must "immediately expose the entire group involved" in his brother's killing to the nation. He warned, "Otherwise, you will be forced to flee the country," referencing the fate of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime. Hadi, a staunch critic of India alongside the Awami League, was one of the leaders of last year’s violent student-led street protest dubbed the July Uprising that toppled the Hasina-led government and later floated the Inqilab Mancha.
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