Bangladesh’s Yunus Calls Reports On Anti-Hindu Violence ‘Fake News’, Blames India

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus dismissed reports of violence against Hindus in the country, calling them “fake news” spread by India, reported India Today.

“One of the specialities of India right now is fake news. A barrage of fake news,” Yunus told US journalist Mehdi Hassan in an interview last week.

He acknowledged “normal conflicts” between neighbours over land and local issues but argued these disputes should not be portrayed as communal violence.

Yunus also rejected several international reports documenting attacks on Hindus following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government last year.

“I would say, government is very alert on that one because this is the one thing that India is always pushing that we are bringing pressure...,” he said.

Reports of communal incidents drew global attention shortly after Hasina’s ouster, with US President Donald Trump reportedly describing Bangladesh’s treatment of Hindus as “barbaric.”

Reacting to this, Yunus said, “Whether Donald Trump ever said anything like that, whether he had any knowledge of what's happening in Bangladesh right now...”

Last November, nearly 30,000 Hindus marched through Dhaka streets demanding protection from Yunus and urging the government to drop sedition charges against Hindu leaders, including monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, whose arrest sparked outcry in India.

Yunus also appealed to Hindus in Bangladesh to see themselves as Bangladeshi citizens, not just as Hindus, so that they don’t feel "isolated.

“My message to them when I meet them, as a community, group of community leaders, is don't go back and say, I'm a Hindu, so protect me. Always say I am a citizen of this country. I'm entitled to all the protection, the state is supposed to give it to me. So, then you've a bigger coverage," he said.

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