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A group of US lawmakers has expressed concern over the total ban of the Awami League political party ahead of elections scheduled in Bangladesh early next year. The lawmakers have said that the Bangladeshi people deserve to be able to choose an elected government in a free and fair election. Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Representative Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia Representative Bill Huizenga, Ranking Member Subcommittee on South and Central Asia Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Member of Congress Julie Johnson on Tuesday sent a letter to Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh Mohammed Yunus expressing concern over the total ban of a political party ahead of elections in February. The letter's cosigners include Representative Tom Suozzi. The lawmakers said that it is vital that the interim government work with parties across the political spectrum to create the conditions for free and fair elections that allow
Bangladesh interim government's senior adviser on Tuesday said that the state will take responsibility of the family of the Hindu worker who was lynched on blasphemy charges last week. Education adviser C R Abrar met the bereaved family of 25-year-old Dipu Das, who was killed by a mob and his body set on fire on December 18 in Mymensingh. The state has taken the responsibilities of taking care of Dipu Das' child, wife and parents, Abrar said, calling the killing of the garment factory worker a brutal crime which has no excuse. Abrar said ahead of meeting the family, he held talks with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, who asked him to convey to them the government's profound sorrow and deepest condolences. According to newspaper reports, Das' father Rabi Chandra Das demanded justice for his son's killing, describing the condition of the family to the adviser. Yunus's office, meanwhile, reconfirmed that financial and welfare assistance would be provided to Das' family, and relevant ...
Bangladesh interim government's finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday said Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has taken steps to ease strained ties with New Delhi while his administration was working to develop economic relations with India by separating economic interests from "political rhetoric." "The chief adviser is working to improve diplomatic relations with India, and he himself has also been speaking to various stakeholders on the issue," he told reporters after a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase at his office. Asked if Yunus directly spoke to India, Ahmed said the chief adviser "has not" but he did speak to those associated with the matter. "Our trade policy is not driven by political considerations. If importing rice from India is cheaper than sourcing it from Vietnam or elsewhere, then it makes economic sense to buy the staple from India," he said. The adviser, an economist, however, expressed optimism that bilateral relations would not .
Security was beefed up outside the Bangladesh High Commission here on Tuesday ahead of a protest by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal over attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country. The area has been secured with three layers of barricading and more force from the police and paramilitary. "We have stepped up security in view of the protest. Barricades have been put in place and forces deployed to prevent any untoward incident," a police officer said. The VHP and Bajrang Dal have announced a demonstration at the high commission building to denounce alleged atrocities against Hindus and vandalism of their religious places in Bangladesh. Several protesters were seen holding banners and placards, raising slogans at the embassy.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday expressed concern over the alleged harassment of Hindu women in Bangladesh, saying the reports are "deeply disturbing". "Reports from Bangladesh alleging that Hindu women fear moving freely while wearing sindoor are deeply disturbing," the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said in a post on X. Mufti said the leadership of the country is, however, in a moral dilemma as "lumpen elements" in India are "forcibly pulling off the hijab of Muslim women". "Sadly, the Indian leadership appears to face a moral dilemma in raising this grave issue with Bangladeshi authorities, as lumpen elements at home are themselves seen forcibly pulling off the hijabs of Muslim women. In a world dominated by fanatics, who will truly stand up for the rights and dignity of women?" she added.
US lawmakers have condemned the targeted mob killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh, calling on authorities to protect religious minorities and restore the rule of law. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi condemned the targeted mob killing of Dipu Chandra Das, amid rising instability and unrest. Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, called on Bangladeshi authorities to ensure accountability, protect religious minorities, and restore the rule of law. "I am appalled by the targeted mob killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man in Bangladeshan act of violence amid a period of dangerous instability and unrest, Krishnamoorthi said in a statement Sunday. While authorities have reported arrests, the Government of Bangladesh must aggressively pursue a full and transparent investigation and prosecute all those responsible to the fullest extent of the law. It must also take urgent action to protect Hindu communities and other religious minorities from further violence. For the sake of all ...
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has voiced concern over the violence in Bangladesh, including the lynching of a Hindu man in the country. Yes, we're very concerned about the violence that we've seen in Bangladesh, Stphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing on Monday. He was responding to a question on the Secretary-General's response to the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and especially the lynchings of Hindus in the last few days. "Whether it's in Bangladesh or any other country, people who don't belong to the majority' need to feel safe, and all Bangladeshis need to feel safe. And we're confident that the Government will do what it can to keep every single Bangladeshi safe, Dujarric said. Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old garment factory worker, was lynched to death by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Baluka in Mymensingh last week. Two more persons were arrested on Sunday in connection with Das's ..
Unidentified gunmen on Monday shot in the head a second leader of Bangladesh's violent student-led 2004 uprising in the country's southwestern Khulna city, days after the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. "The Khulna Division head of NCP (National Citizen Party) and central coordinator of the party's workers front, Muhammad Motaleb Sikdar, was shot a few minutes ago," NCP's joint principal coordinator Mahmuda Mitu said in a Facebook post. Mitu, a doctor, said Sarkar was rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital in a critical condition. The Kaler Kantha newspaper, quoting hospital sources, said Sarkar was shot on the left side of his head, and he was bleeding profusely when he was brought to the facility, where the doctors started emergency treatment. The attack came days after Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was shot in the head on December 12 by
Bangladesh Police on Sunday said they have no "specific information" on the whereabouts of the prime suspect in the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. The remarks came a day after Hadi's Inqilab Mancha party on Saturday issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the interim government, demanding "visible progress" in the arrest of those responsible for his killing. Addressing an emergency press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khandaker Rafiqul Islam said law enforcement agencies are actively trying to locate Faisal Karim Masud, identified as the gunman in the shooting, the UNB news agency reported. We do not have specific information about Faisal's last location. Our forces and intelligence agencies are working to obtain it, he said, adding that there was no reliable information suggesting the suspect had left the country. The IGP cautioned that criminals often spread rumours about their whereabouts. Islam also said no .