Bangladesh LIVE: Must control conspirators who are creating chaos, says Yunus after swearing-in
Efforts being made to create instability in India, claims Rashtra Sevika Samiti
Rashtra Sevika Samiti chief Shantha Kumari on Thursday claimed efforts are being made to create confusion among people and instability in India against the backdrop of the prevailing turmoil in Bangladesh, as she called upon the Hindu society to remain vigilant and united to thwart any such moves.
The Rashtra Sevika Samiti is a women organisation which parallels the ruling BJP's ideological fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
In a video statement, Kumari claimed that Hindus are being subjected to atrocities in Bangladesh since the elected government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was "brought down". This is "extremely condemnable", she said.
"Attack on Hindu temples there, kidnapping of girls...All these acts are unacceptable. the Rashtra Sevika Samiti condemns it," she said.
Kumari claimed that in India too, efforts are being made to create confusion in the minds of youngsters and instability against the backdrop of the prevailing situation in Bangladesh.
Jaishankar discusses situation in Bangladesh with British counterpart Lammy
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday discussed the unfolding situation in Bangladesh with his British counterpart David Lammy during a phone conversation.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said he and Lammy also deliberated on the developments in West Asia.
"Received a call from UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy today. Discussed the situation in Bangladesh and West Asia," Jaishankar said.
The discussion between Jaishankar and the British foreign secretary on the situation in Bangladesh comes against the backdrop of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's initial plan to seek asylum in London. However, the plan has hit a roadblock following the UK's hesitation to provide her refuge.
Hasina resigned as the prime minister on Monday following weeks of massive protests that initially began as an agitation against a job quota scheme but weeks later morphed into a mass movement demanding her ouster from power.
Shortly after resigning from the post, 76-year-old Hasina landed at the Hindon airbase near Delhi with a plan to leave for London.
The plan did not materialise as the UK indicated that she may not get legal protection against any possible probe into the violent protests in her country.
In a statement, Lammy said in London on Monday that Bangladesh has seen unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life in the last two weeks and people of the country "deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events".
Under the UK's immigration rules, it is not possible to apply for asylum from outside the UK and each asylum claim is carefully considered on its individual merits on a case-by-case basis.
The UK has a record of providing protection for people who need it but at the same time there is no provision within its immigration rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge, said an expert.
Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach; that is the fastest route to safety, the expert added.
It is learnt that Hasina is considering several options including the United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Finland for taking refuge.
Reports of minorities being attacked in Bangladesh concerning: Owaisi
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday expressed concern over reports of minorities being attacked in Bangladesh and demanded that authorities in that country ensure their protection.
At least 232 people were killed in Bangladesh in incidents of violence that erupted after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on Monday, according to a media report on Thursday, taking the death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests first started in mid-July.
A number of Hindu temples, households and businesses were vandalised, women assaulted and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with the Awami League party that is headed by Hasina were killed in the violence in Bangladesh after she fled the country, according to two community leaders in Dhaka.
In a post on X, Owaisi said, "The reports of minorities being attacked in Bangladesh are concerning. The government and authorities of Bangladesh have a duty under international law to protect the life, limb and property of minorities." There are also reports that many from the country's majority community are protecting homes and places of worship of the minority communities, he noted, adding, "This should be the norm."
Centre to diplomatically deal with attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh: Himanta
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday expressed confidence that the Centre will address the alleged attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh through diplomatic efforts.
He assured that while the Indian government is managing the situation with patience and caution, the focus remains on ensuring safety and maintaining strict vigilance along the Indo-Bangladesh border, which has been fully sealed.
''The Indian government will deal with the situation politically and diplomatically with the new dispensation. We have been asked not to comment much on it but to be patient and tolerant'', the Chief Minister said on the sidelines of a programme here.
''The solution does not lie in allowing those trying to enter India following persecution in the neighbouring country but to ensure their safety and security there. There are various organisations like the UN and others to deal with the situation diplomatically'', Sarma said.
Sarma further noted his reluctance to comment on the alleged attacks to avoid potential repercussions on minorities in Bangladesh.
"I am confident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing everything possible to ensure the safety and security of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists in that country," he said.
He assured that Assam is maintaining strict border security, allowing entry only to those with valid passports, visas, and bona fide Indian citizenship.
Sarma had previously indicated concerns about the situation in Bangladesh from two perspectives - the potential influx of people through the border and the risk of the neighbouring country becoming a refuge for insurgents from Northeast India.
He had asserted that there is no doubt that with the cooperation of the previous government in Bangladesh, ''we have been successful in curbing extremist activities in Northeast India''. He hoped that the new government in Bangladesh will also maintain the same cooperation and not allow their country to become a safe haven for NE insurgents.
Advocate Asaduzzaman becomes new attorney general
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Asaduzzaman has been appointed as the new attorney general.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin appointed him as the attorney general on Thursday. The order was issued in a notification signed by the law secretary on Thursday.
Besides, Additional Attorney General SM Munir also resigned on Thursday after submitting his resignation to the attorney general's office.
Earlier, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Additional Attorney General Sheikh Md Morshed resigned on Wednesday.
To date, two of the three additional attorneys general have resigned.
State Guest House Jamuna to serve as Dr Yunus' office, residence
The State Guest House Jamuna is being prepared to serve as the office and residence of the chief adviser of the interim government which will take the oath of office on Thursday.
Dr Muhammad Yunus, who will head the government, will reside at Jamuna, located on Minto Road in Dhaka, after taking the oath, according to a reliable source.
After Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign as prime minister and fled the country in the face of a mass uprising, enraged people extensively vandalised the Prime Minister's Office and Ganabhaban, her official residence.
Hope interim govt will respect democratic principles: US
The United States has expressed hope that the interim government should respect democratic principles, rule of law, and the will of the Bangladeshi people.
“And as you heard the Secretary (US Secretary of State Antony Blinken) said yesterday, any decisions that interim government makes should respect democratic principles, rule of law, and the will of the Bangladeshi people,” Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesperson, said during a regular briefing in Washington.
Yunus pledges to deliver a govt which assures safety to citizens
Muhammad Yunus on Thursday promised to deliver a government which assures safety to its citizens and urged them to assist him in rebuilding Bangladesh, as the Nobel laureate returned to the protest-torn country from Paris to head an interim government following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus, 84, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work on microlending, was designated head of the interim government after President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Tuesday after Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and fled to India following widespread protests against her regime.
Yunus was in Paris for the Olympic Games. He returned to the country via Dubai.
An Emirates flight (EK-582) carrying Yunus landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 2:10 pm local time. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, senior officials, student leaders and civil society members welcomed him at the airport.
At an emotional press conference at the airport, Yunus expressed gratitude to the youth who made the protest movement against Hasina successful. “Today is a day of our pride,” he said.
Yunus called the change of regime the country’s “second independence”.
"We have got independence for the second time. We have to protect this independence," he said.
He urged people from all walks of life to listen to him and he agreed to take charge of the interim administration responding to the call of the students and youths. "We have to form a government which assures safety to its citizens," he said.
Will deliver a different government, says Yunus
What Younus said after landing in Dhaka