Dhaka: In the weeks following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, at least 49 teachers from minority communities were forced to resign, according to local media reports. One of the most high-profile cases involved Shukla Rani Halder, the principal of Bakerganj Government College in Barishal. According to Prothom Alo daily, on August 29, a mob of students and outsiders stormed her office, demanding her resignation.
The Bangladesh Chhatra Oikya Parishad, the student wing of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, disclosed this information during a press conference held at the Jatiya Press Club recently, as reported by The Daily Star.
Sajib Sarkar, the coordinator of the organization, stated that since the fall of the Hasina-led government, religious and ethnic minorities have been subjected to a wave of violence. This has included attacks, looting, assaults on women, the vandalism of temples, arson attacks on homes and businesses, and even killings, he said. Sarkar further revealed that minority teachers across the country have faced physical assaults, leading to the forced resignation of at least 49 teachers by August 30. However, 19 of those teachers have since been reinstated, he added.
Sheikh Hasina's government was forced to step down last month after violent student-led anti-quota protests resulted in the deaths of over 400 people. The Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajot (BJHM), a grand national alliance of 23 religious organizations in the country, said that Hindu families have faced violence and vandalism at as many as 278 locations across 48 districts of the nation since August 5.
Major developments>> Five new murder cases have been filed against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her former cabinet minister for the killing of five people during the quota reform protests in the country. >> Bangladeshi Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification directing Hasina, along with advisers, former cabinet members, and all members of the recently dissolved National Parliament, to surrender their diplomatic passports. >> Former prime minister Khaleda Zia has been acquitted in five separate cases, including one filed over allegations of celebrating a “fake birthday” and another for supporting war criminals. >> Controversial author Taslima Nasrin says Bangladesh is now ‘anti-India, anti-women and anti-democracy’, adding that the Muhammad Yunus’ government is worse than Hasina’s. |
