Dhaka:
Bangladesh on Tuesday acknowledged 88 incidents of communal violence against minorities, mainly Hindus, following the ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August.
Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary of interim government head Muhammad Yunus, also said that 70 people have been arrested in these incidents.
He made the disclosure a day after External Affairs Minister Vikram Misri noted regrettable incidents of attacks on minorities and raised India's concerns, including those related to the safety and well-being of minorities, during his meetings with Bangladeshi leaders.
A total of 88 cases were filed in minority-related incidents between August 5 and October 22, Alam told reporters.
“The number of cases and arrests is likely to increase as new incidents of violence have also been reported in northeastern Sunamganj, (central) Gazipur and other areas,” he said.
He added that there may be cases where some victims were members of the previous ruling party.
The government has so far maintained that, apart from a few incidents, Hindus have not been attacked because of their faith.
“Some attacks targeted individuals who were former members of the ruling party or were the result of personal disputes. Nevertheless, the police are taking appropriate action since the violence occurred,” he said.
Alam said details of the incidents that occurred after October 22 would be shared soon.
There has been a wave of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities in recent weeks, as well as attacks on temples in Bangladesh, raising major concerns in New Delhi.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
