Bangladesh’s newly-elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday (February 18, 2026) vowed to strengthen the rule of law and said his government will turn the country into a safe land for people of all faiths, regardless of party, opinion, religion, or ethnicity.

In his maiden televised address to the nation after assuming office, 60-year-old Rahman outlined his government’s priorities and said that improving the law and order situation and strictly controlling corruption to restore peace and security are his top priorities.

“We want to turn this country into a safe land for every citizen. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians — regardless of party, opinion, religion, or ethnicity — whether living in the hills or the plains, this country belongs to all of us,” said the Prime Minister, who is also the chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

“Whether you voted for BNP, or did not vote for BNP, or did not vote at all — everyone has equal rights over this government… As a Bangladeshi, every one of us has equal rights in this country, in this state,” he asserted.

His remarks about a pluralistic society assume significance as the Hindu population in Bangladesh has been affected by a series of attacks after the ouster of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.

Under the interim government ofMuhammad Yunus since August 2024, the country has experienced a rise in mob violence, extrajudicial killings and attacks on minority communities, especially Hindus.

Rights group Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) said that in January 2026 alone, they documented 21 incidents of lynching and 28 incidents of mob beatings.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported 522 communal attacks in 2025, including killings, rapes, and temple vandalism, with murders of 116 people of minority faiths, mostly Hindus, between June 2025 and January 2026.

The reports suggested leaders and activists of the Awami League, disbanded by the Yunus regime, were the victims of most attacks.

India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh.

Earlier, the senior-most minister in the new government, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, said that the law and order issue was one of three priorities and the administration would take steps to end “mob violence”.

Alamgir, who is also the party’s secretary general and entrusted with the charge of the local government ministry, said, “This (mob violence) will be controlled.”

“We must strive to improve the law and order situation, regardless of how much it has deteriorated,” he added.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed also said, “The mob culture in no way can be tolerated.”

In his address, Mr. Rahman said every constitutional, governmental, and non-governmental institution will operate according to established laws and regulations.

“Not party or political influence or force, but the rule of law will be the final word in governing the state,” he said.

He said establishing a self-reliant, secure, humane, and democratic Bangladesh is the goal of his party’s government.

In his address, Mr. Rahman did not elaborate on his foreign policy. He, however, at the beginning of his speech, said that “in a Bangladesh freed from subservience, a new government accountable to the people through their votes has begun its journey”.

He said his government started its journey amid a fragile economy battered by corruption and misrule during the “period of fascism, a weak governance structure, and a deteriorating law and order situation”.

Mr. Rahman also extended his greetings to the people on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan. “If we truly understand the essence of self-purification, then this month should not increase people’s suffering,” he said.

On the supply of gas, water, and electricity during Ramadan, Mr. Rahman said he has already instructed the authorities concerned to ensure the civic amenities during iftar, tarawih, and sehri times.

Referring to his previous pledge that if the BNP was voted to power, the government would follow the ideal of justice of the Holy Prophet, he said, “I believe that this decision of the BNP parliamentary party reflects that very ideal of justice”.

Mr. Rahman said his government was determined to dismantle all syndicates of wrongdoing and irregularities in every sector but “protect the interests of both businessmen and consumers”.

Stating that Bangladesh was facing many challenges, Mr. Rahman said, “If we can transform our large population into a skilled workforce, then this population will become our human resource. If we can develop ourselves with skills, not only Bangladesh but also the global market will be open to us.”

He said the world is entering the era of artificial intelligence, and survival with dignity and prosperity in this competitive world requires expertise in specific fields.

He also assured students and youths that his government was ready to provide all possible support to help them develop intellectually and scientifically.

Mr. Rahman, 60, was sworn in as the 11th Prime Minister on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) after leading his party to a forceful victory in the 13th Parliamentary polls held on February 12. He replaced interim government chief Yunus.

Mr. Rahman, the son of the late President Ziaur Rahman and former premier Khaleda Zia, returned home in December after living in London in self-exile for 17 years.

Along with Mr. Rahman, 25 Ministers and 24 State Ministers also took the oath of office on Tuesday (February 17, 2026).

The year 1985 was a difficult one in the chequered history of Bangladesh. It was a decade since the father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated, and almost a decade and a half had passed since the deadly Cyclone ‘Bhola’ that devastated the country before it got independence from Pakistan. But despite the years, the country was not yet ready for another political or natural disaster. In the summer of 1985, a massive cyclone ripped through the coastal part of Bangladesh and left at least 11,000 people dead. It was in that dramatic condition of natural fury and the subsequent political breakdown that a young cadet, Waker-uz-Zaman, joined the infantry of Bangladesh. Nearly four decades later, as the head of the Army, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman was thrown into the labyrinthine politics of Bangladesh on August 5, 2024.

It was a tense morning with families across the capital, Dhaka, stepping out for one last confrontation with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s law and order machinery. Ms. Hasina led the government for a decade and a half with an iron hand. As teachers, students, lawyers and housewives bid goodbye to their families and started flooding the streets of Dhaka, there was anticipation of a bloodbath as the police and the military were expected to crush the uprising and enforce a lockdown that Ms. Hasina had ordered.

But by 11 am, it became clear that something had changed during the night and that the military had decided not to support the month-long crackdown that had left hundreds dead. As Ms. Hasina boarded a helicopter and flew out of the country, the systemic reflex action in Dhaka pushed Gen. Zaman to the forefront.

By afternoon, representatives of all the major political parties and civil society figures received an urgent call to converge under his leadership and have a discussion about the road ahead. By the evening, Bangladesh heaved a sigh of relief when Gen. Zaman held a press conference to announce that the military would hold the fort until a new interim government is formed.

The role of Gen. Zaman has been keenly watched from the beginning of the latest political turbulence that hit Bangladesh in July 2024 when the students took to the streets under the leadership of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (Boishommo Birodhi Chhatra Andolan).

The crackdown against the students-led uprising was led by the police and security forces, and the military, though at times accused of firing upon violent mobs, more or less kept away from the scenes of extreme violence. Daily Star reported that the night before the expected final showdown between the government and protesters, the military’s top officials met Gen. Zaman and decided that the military would not enforce the lockdown Ms. Hasina had ordered.

This was subsequently conveyed to Ms. Hasina, which meant that the Prime Minister no longer had the support of her military.

In charge of policing

The interim government under Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, however, has been suffering from a congenital problem as it has failed to revive the police and the security forces whose credibility nosedived before the people as they were seen as complicit in the anti-student crackdown. Lack of effective policing has left the law and order in a fragile condition since the fall of Ms. Hasina, which prompted the military to take up magisterial power in the country on September 17, putting the Army effectively in charge of policing.

Ever since August, every action of Gen. Zaman has been minutely observed in the media. On January 2, he met former PM Khaleda Zia at her residence which triggered intense speculation about what he was up to next.

Starting with the infantry in 1985, Gen. Zaman grew to ultimately command the Infantry Battalion of Bangladesh. He was a distinguished instructor at the School of Infantry and Tactics, the Non-commissioned Officers’ Academy and the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training. He also served as the Military Secretary in the Army Headquarters and Principal Staff Officer under Prime Minister Hasina. He has experience of handling military operations, military intelligence and UN peacekeeping affairs of the Bangladesh Army.

What adds political context to Gen. Zaman is his background. The General is married to academic Sarahnaz Kamalika Zaman, the eldest daughter of late Gen. Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman, who served as the Army chief during Ms. Hasina’s first prime ministerial stint in the late 1990s. Gen. Rahman had married a cousin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In that way, Gen. Zaman is a distant relative of Ms. Hasina.

This family link had come up for discussion among anti-Hasina forces when she was evacuated in a military aircraft. It was alleged that Gen. Zaman had saved Ms. Hasina from the wrath of the protesters because of family links. But the role of the military and his own position in the interim period became clear with an interview that Gen. Zaman gave to Prothom Alo on December 30. In the interview, he extended explicit support to the interim government but criticised the failures of the authorities in rebuilding the policing structure. “At the end of the day, it is my soldiers who have to take to the field. They have been five months in the field now,” he said. He toned down the anti-India rhetoric that had gone ballistic with strong speeches by the student leaders.

Targeting Constitution

The interview coincided with a dramatic declaration by several student-coordinators, including Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, that they would “bury” the current Constitution in a massive rally at the Shaheed Minar on December 31. The interim government has already constituted several commissions for reforms, including one that is being led by Professor Ali Riaz of Illinois State University, for reform of the Constitution and it was felt that a public call for “burying” the Constitution by the students would unleash further chaos in the country.

On January 30, the interim government pledged to come out with its own “July Proclamation” that would lay down a roadmap for the future of Bangladesh. It was reported that the interim government’s initiative was prompted by Gen. Zaman and other members of the Bangladesh military who had expressed concern over the call to dismantle the Constitution. Student protest of December 31 fizzled out but the students have given a deadline of January 15 for the announcement of the “July Proclamation”.

The role of the Army chief is also important as the incoming Trump presidency in the U.S. is expected to create further problems for the unstable interim government as President Trump is a known critic of Mr. Yunus, who has not given a clear timeline for holding elections.

If Mr. Trump cold-shoulders the Yunus government, the most important player in Dhaka will be Gen. Zaman who has so far refrained from taking over direct power while effectively being in charge of law and order.

Supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) shout slogans during a rally demanding a democratic transition through an election in Dhaka, Bangladesh. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

Days after Chief Adviser Prof. Mohammad Yunus promised to hold an election in Bangladesh in 2025 or early 2026, a leading member of his Advisory Council declared on Wednesday that organising “just one election” was not the aim of the people-student uprising. The comment from Asif Mahmud, former student coordinator of the  Anti-Discrimination Students Movement and the current adviser in charge of multiple ministries, has stoked further discussion about the prospects of elections in Bangladesh which has been under the Interim Government since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August.

“The people’s uprising had a one-point agenda; that was to bring down Sheikh Hasina’s government and end the fascist system. The fascist system has destroyed almost all the institutions of the country. For completion of the one-point agenda, it is necessary to implement the reforms process,” said Mr. Mahmud.

Also read | Student-advisers in interim government of Bangladesh gaining higher profile

Mr. Mahmud, who is in charge of the Ministries of Local Governance, Rural Development and Youth and Sports Affairs, said that multiple reform commissions, which were constituted in August, are on track. Citing Mr. Mahmud’s remarks, state-owned Bangladesh Sanbad Sansthan reported that he was talking about long-term issues that were beyond the ambit of electoral politics and said, “More than two thousand people did not die and more than twenty-thousand citizens were not injured just for holding one election or vote”.

He further said, “Our commissions have been working for nearly three months. They will give their recommendations and after that we will discuss the path ahead after discussing with various stakeholders.”

The remarks came days after Mr. Yunus came out with a promise to hold elections in Bangladesh. On the occasion of the Victory Day of 16 December, which annually celebrates the victory of the War of Liberation against Pakistan’s rule, Mr. Yunus had announced that elections in Bangladesh would be held either later in 2025 or during early part of 2026.

The announcement has ever since triggered speculation, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party declaring last week that it was disappointed because Mr. Yunus did not give a specific date for holding elections.

In a press conference, BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “We had hoped that the chief adviser would come up with a clear election roadmap, but he did not do so. This has left us and the nation disappointed.”

The reform process of the Yunus-led Interim Government has also received heightened public attention because of the goals they have set up.

Constitutional Reforms Commission’s head Prof. Ali Riaz pointed out that the constitution reform will aim to make Bangladesh more amenable to the ambition of its young population.

In an interview with popular news outlet Kaler Kontho Mr. Riaz said that the commission is trying to create more space for the participation of the young population in nation-building activities and to that end, the commission was considering reducing the 25-year age limit for MPst down to 21. “We urge political parties to keep 1/4^th or 1/3^rd of their nominations for the youth as tomorrow’s Bangladesh will be built by the young people,” Mr. Riaz was quoted as saying by Kaler Kontho.

Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus said that not only the deaths in the uprising but all other violations of human rights, including alleged enforced disappearances while Ms. Hasina was in power, would be investigated. File
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bangladesh’s interim leader and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said Sunday (November 17, 2024) that his administration will seek the extradition of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, where she has been in exile since fleeing a mass uprising in August 2024.

In a televised address to the nation on his first 100 days in office, Mr. Yunus said that the interim government will try those responsible, including Ms. Hasina, for hundreds of deaths during the student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule. Mr. Yunus took the helm on August 8, 2024, three days after Ms. Hasina fled the country.

He said that not only the deaths in the uprising but all other violations of human rights, including alleged enforced disappearances while Ms. Hasina was in power, would be investigated. Bangladesh has sought help from the global police organization Interpol in issuing a red notice for the arrest of Ms. Hasina and her associates.

“We will seek the return of the fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina from India,” Mr. Yunus said. “I have already discussed the issue with chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan.”

While Hasina and her close associates are facing numerous criminal charges at home, the Yunus-led government is also pushing for the ICC to take up the case.

Seeking Hasina’s extradition could also pose a challenge for India, which has treated her as a trusted friend.

Mr. Yunus said his government’s most important task was to hold a new election to hand over power to an elected government, but he did not spell out any timeframe. He said his administration would first bring about reforms in various sectors, including in the electoral system.

He promised that once the electoral reforms are completed, a roadmap for the new election would be unveiled.

Mr. Yunus has been talking to political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s main rival, which has sought an election in two to three months. The party believes it will form the next government as Hasina’s Awami League party and its allies face a political debacle following her ouster.

Mr. Yunus said the Election Commission will be reconstituted soon.

“But as we move forward, we need to complete a lot of work. The train will reach its final station depending on how quickly we can lay down the railway tracks, and this will happen through consensus among the political parties,” he said.

Mr. Yunus also downplayed as “exaggerated” reports of attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, many of whom complained that hard-line Islamists are becoming increasingly influential since Hasina’s ouster.

BSF personnel keep vigil at the India-Bangladesh international Border on the eve of the Independence Day, at Chatrahati in South Dinajpur district of West Bengal .
| Photo Credit: ANI

A retired judge of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court was detained from the northeastern frontier with India in Sylhet while he was allegedly attempting to flee the country, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said late on Friday (August 23, 2024).

The report came hours after the arrest of Awami League leader ASM Firoz from his residence.

Watch: The story of Sheikh Hasina

The BGB headquarters, in an SMS, informed reporters that they have detained former apex appellate division judge of the Supreme Court Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik as he was trying to cross over to India through Sylhet’s Kanaighat border.

Newspaper Prothom Alo said Manik was kept at a BGB outpost till midnight citing the camp’s in-charge.

Bangladesh descended into chaos after ousted premier Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed and she fled to India on August 5 amid violent protests over quota for government jobs, while the Army stepped in to fill the power vacuum.

Before that, anti-government protests had killed more than 500 people since mid-July. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took oath as the Chief Adviser of the interim government on August 8.

Since August 5, a number of leaders of the deposed regime, including senior ministers, have been arrested — many of them on murder charges.

The Bangladesh Army has earlier said that several hundred leaders of Hasina’s Awami League and others have been sheltered in cantonments as their lives were at risk.

Former law minister Anisul Huq and the ex-premier’s private sector affairs adviser Salman F Rahman were the first to be arrested from Dhaka’s main river port Sadarghat terminal area as they were allegedly trying to leave Dhaka on a boat.

A number of members of Hasina’s cabinet, including former foreign minister Hassan Mahmud and former social welfare minister Dipu Moni, several lawmakers and leaders of Awami League and its allies, including pro-left Workers Party chairman Rashed Khan Menon, and a number of recently sacked military and civil officials have been arrested.

This included sacked major general Ziaul Hassan, who was serving as the head of the government’s telecommunications system, and Chittagong Port Authority chairman rear admiral Mohammad Sohail, who once was the spokesman of the elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion.

A TV journalist couple Farzana Rupa and her husband Shakil Ahmed have also been arrested.

As dawn approached on Saturday morning of July 20, 2024 a disturbing scene unfolded in Monsur Nagar Housing Estate in Savar upazila, on the outskirts of Dhaka. Some eight to 10 plainclothes men identifying themselves as being from the detective branch (DB) of Bangladesh Police, surrounded the home of Abul Khair, a 70-year-old, who had fought in the 1971 war for freedom. The officers, armed and aggressive, began shouting and demanded that Khair open the gate, threatening to break it down if he did not. Soon, they forcefully entered, seized the family’s phones and detained Khair’s two sons, Arif Sohel, 27, and Mohammad Ali Jowel.

While Jowel was released, Sohel went missing for the next 36 hours. No police station the family approached denied his detention; nor did they show his arrest, says the family. He was allegedly beaten up and not given food. For this brief spell, the family says Sohel was another victim of ‘enforced disappearance’, a common tactic the people of Bangladesh say the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government used, to suppress dissent. Then, he was officially shown as arrested and placed on a seven-day remand in a case his family says is fabricated. Sohel’s father says, “The behavior of the law enforcement agencies was similar to that of the Pakistani military during the Liberation War.”

Sohel is a student and convener of the Jahangir Nagar University of Students Against Discrimination movement that swept the country from July 1. The students were protesting the June 5 Dhaka Supreme Court ruling to reinstate a 30% government job quota for descendants of 1971 independence war veterans (the quota had been withdrawn in 2018).

Student unrest

Like many other movements across the world, including India’s Mandal Commission and China’s Tiananmen square, students across Bangladesh took to the streets in the thousands. They demanded the abolition of the quota and the establishment of a merit-based system instead. Underlying the anti-quota protests though, was the fear that members of the Awami League, the political party that led Bangladesh’s independence movement against Pakistan, would benefit.

The student protests were met with a brutal reaction from the government. Citizens went through raids, in which thousands of students, opposition leaders, and others were arrested for their alleged involvement in the Students Against Discrimination movement. A curfew was imposed on the midnight of July 19. Images of the army and police firing on students came out of the country, with India saying this was Bangladesh’s “internal matter”, the same way that Hasina’s government had described India’s Citizenship Amendment Act in 2022. In fact, Hasina was the first state guest to visit India after the Bharatiya Janata Party government came to power for a third term this year.

When violence broke out, about 300 Indian students who had been pursuing MBBS degrees, returned home. The internet was cut, and it was difficult to reach friends and relatives. So far, 439 people have died in the violence, as per Prothom Alo, a leading newspaper in Bangladesh.

Under pressure from students, the Supreme Court scaled back the quota on July 21 to 5%, with an additional 2% for ethnic minorities. Sifat Hasan Sakib, one of the organisers from Dhaka’s government-run Jagannath University, says, “We fought against discrimination, and students won the fight, even at the cost of lives. We want a peaceful environment on university campuses, which has been absent for a long time due to the student wing of the Awami League, Bangladesh Chhatra League. Regular students’ union elections can play a crucial role in protecting the rights of students.”

Students say the Bangladesh Chhatra League dominates student life on campus, doling out privileges only to its members, and capturing posts that no other student organisation was allowed to hold. Abdullah Al Mamun, a recent graduate from the English Department of Dhaka College, expressed his frustration, saying, “There was no alternative but to take to the streets in protest…. Sheikh Hasina would often boast about economic development, but at the same time, she allowed Chhatra League to dismantle the education system in Bangladesh.”

He says the integrity of job examinations was severely compromised. “It was common for exam paper leaks. Moreover, the viva boards were biased, often favoring candidates affiliated with Chhatra League. This left general students with little hope of securing a job. The system was rigged against us.”

Bangladesh’s tipping point

Similar to how the 1857 uprising was sparked by a long history of disenchantment with British oppression, the students’ movement emerged from deep-seated political and social angst against authoritarianism and human rights violations. Thousands joined from across the country, and it was so strong it compelled Hasina to resign in the presence of the three service chiefs and flee the country, on August 5, 2024. The former Prime Minister, elected for the fifth time in January 2024, arrived in India and continues to be there, her future plans uncertain.

When she left her official residence, Ganabhaban, the public stormed its lavish premises. The world saw images of people making off with suitcases and deep freezers, but also goats, fish, and a German Shepherd pup. Statues of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father, considered the founding father of Bangladesh, were vandalised, the video going viral.

The army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, called for peace, and on August 6, 2024 it was announced that Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old pioneer of microfinance who won the Nobel prize in 2006, would lead an interim government, with 16 advisers, including two student representatives. The Hasina government had filed over 200 cases against the Grameen Bank founder, for corruption.

It wasn’t just student politics that brought the Hasina government down. According to Bangladeshi human rights organisations, security forces have committed over 600 enforced disappearances since 2009. While some people were later released, produced in court, or said to have died during an armed exchange with security forces, nearly 100 people remain missing, they say.

These actions angered people. For instance, Brigadier General (suspended) Abdullahil Amaan Azmi was released from the detention centre known as Aynaghar (House of Mirrors), after eight years of captivity in the early hours of August 6. Azmi is the son of late Ghulam Azam, the former ameer (chief) of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a religion-based political party that was started in 1941 and has its roots in present-day Pakistan. He was allegedly forcibly picked up from his residence on August 23, 2016, and had since been missing. The Hasina government had repeatedly denied the existence of Aynaghar and 23 other detention camps, where political opponents were allegedly kept.

The Hasina government had, on August 1, 2024, banned the Jamaat-e-Islami, saying it was a threat to public security. The Jamaat is a key ally of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who was then in jail on charges of corruption, but now released. “They (Jamaat and BNP) just used the students as their shield,” Hasina had said, when Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro called on her, news agency PTI reported.

The Jamaat’s central executive committee member and the party’s media and publicity secretary, Matiur Rahman Akanda, calls the 2024 election a “dummy election”.

After the fall of the Hasina regime, families of political prisoners secretly jailed under her rule have gathered in front of Director General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) headquarters. Sanjida Islam Tulee, co-founder of Mayer Dak, an organization of the families of the victims of ‘enforced disappearances’, says, “We have learnt from recently released former army officer Brigadier General Abdullahil Aman Azmi that there are many others in that Aynaghor. We went to the DGFI office to find out who is detained there and to talk about the issue.” They demand that the prisoners be released together instead of separately.

Media strangulation

The Bangladeshi media have often accused the government of stifling freedom of speech and assembly. According to a research paper by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), at least 451 journalists were sued under the Digital Security Act (DSA) since its inception and 255 of them were sued for their journalistic reports. Among the accused, 209 journalists are associated with national-level Bangladesh media and 197 with regional media outlets. The CGS found that at least 4,520 people have been charged in 1,436 cases filed between October 2018 and September 2023.

Raihan Hossain, a journalist from Jago News, an online news outlet in Bangladesh, says journalists in Bangladesh have faced huge challenges, particularly when reporting on sensitive issues like the extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, and the corruptions.

He says, “Journalists who dared to investigate and report on these issues often faced severe threats. The powers-that-be would go to great lengths to silence us, using intimidation and fear to prevent any negative coverage. It was a constant battle, and many of us were put in positions where our safety was at risk simply for trying to do our jobs.”

He adds that the situation was further complicated by the government’s blatant ‘favouritism’ for certain media outlets. “Newspapers that aligned with the government’s agenda were granted numerous facilities and privileges, while those that attempted to maintain journalistic integrity were often deprived of essential resources. This made it increasingly difficult for independent journalism to thrive, as the government’s influence over the media landscape created an environment where only the voices that supported the official narrative could prosper.”

A rise in minority violence

After Hasina’s fall, there has also been a rise in violence against the Hindu minority. According to Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC), 200-300 Hindu homes and businesses were vandalized, and 15-20 temples were damaged. Many have been injured.

Rana Dasgupta, the general secretary of the BHBCUC Oikya Parishad says, “Some of those whose homes were attacked may be directly involved in Awami League politics, but 98% are Hindus not involved in political activity.” He hopes the interim government will restore stability and protect minorities. Student and Jamaat leaders have put out statements asking supporters to guard temples and churches as diplomats and rights groups expressed concerns over reports of attacks on minority groups.

Monzurul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, says they do not consider any group a minority or majority in the country: “Everyone is equal,” he says, despite the group’s belief that the reason for Hasina’s political dominance in the country was India. Hindus, who form 8% of the population of over 17 crore, were traditionally Awami League supporters.

Photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam says, “India is effectively Bangladesh’s only neighbour. It is also a major trade partner. It makes no sense for Bangladesh not to have a cordial relationship with India.” He hopes though that a future relationship will be based on equality, rather than that of a ‘big brother’.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with daughter Saima Wazed Hossain sister Sheikh Rehana
| Photo Credit: AFP

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s daughter Saima Wazed on Thursday (August 8) said she was “heartbroken” by the loss of lives in her country and that she could not “see or hug” her mother during such a difficult time.

Ms. Hasina resigned as prime minister and travelled to India on Monday following unprecedented anti-government protests.

Also Read: Bangladesh crisis LIVE Updates

“Heartbroken with the loss of life in my country Bangladesh that I love. So heartbroken that I cannot see and hug my mother during this difficult time. I remain committed to my role as RD,” Ms. Wazed said in a post on X.

Ms. Wazed is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for Southeast Asia.

The protests in Bangladesh began initially with the demand to end a quota system that reserved 30% of government jobs for families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence before turning into anti-government demonstrations.

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved Parliament on Tuesday and appointed Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus as head of an interim government.

New Delhi:
The interim government in Bangladesh led by Nobel-laureate Muhammad Yunus will take oath tomorrow, the nation’s army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said today. General Waker told reporters the interim government is likely to take oath at 8 pm.

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