Dhaka, Oct 1 (IANS) – The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has condemned Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus after he dismissed allegations of Hindu persecution in Bangladesh as “baseless” during an interview in New York.
Yunus, who leads the interim government, made the remarks in a conversation with the Global Thinkers Organisation (GTO) on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The Council responded sharply, saying his statement “constitutes a denial of the truth.”
In a protest note, the Council recalled that on August 13, 2024, during a meeting with minority leaders at Jamuna, they had already presented evidence of “organized violence against minorities, particularly Hindus,” demanding its immediate end.
The group also pointed to the UN Fact-Finding Mission report of February 12, 2025, which documented continuing persecution of minorities, including Hindus, since August 5, 2024.
Adding to the controversy, the Council highlighted Yunus’s earlier October 2024 interview with NPR, where he had himself acknowledged minority persecution after the July Revolution — a statement also reported by Prothom Alo.
Bangladesh has seen a surge in violence targeting religious minorities, including looting, arson, and attacks on temples, drawing condemnation from human rights groups worldwide.
The Awami League, too, has denounced the violence, accusing the Yunus-led regime of not just enabling but directly carrying out attacks. “These atrocities amount to genocide,” the party said in a statement, adding that minority homes and places of worship remain under threat.