Bangladesh: Reports of attacks against minorities
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Transcript
00:00This avenue in Dhaka was the center of student protests for over four weeks.
00:05But Shah Bagh now is occupied by demonstrators from the minority community.
00:10They claim they are under attack.
00:16Most protesters are from the Hindu community, the largest minority group in Bangladesh,
00:21making up 8% of the nation's 170 million people.
00:27There is lack of security in the rural areas of Bangladesh.
00:33The people who are fundamentalists are attacking the minorities.
00:39They are taking advantage of the situation.
00:42Following the students' ousting of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,
00:46the police went into hiding, creating a huge law and order vacuum.
00:50Minorities who were traditionally seen as Hasina supporters became easy targets.
00:55In this Muslim-majority neighborhood outside Dhaka, this chapel-cum-school was burned down.
01:02I feel horrible witnessing all this.
01:05I'm even scared to enter the building, seeing so much destruction.
01:08I'm terrified for my safety.
01:10Will someone come and attack me and beat me?
01:13What are they going to do to me?
01:15I know when the students are back, they will be traumatized.
01:18At least 200 such attacks against minorities have been reported by local NGOs.
01:23But the residents say the lack of police on the streets has made everyone equally vulnerable.
01:28Communities across the country have formed vigilante groups
01:31to patrol their neighborhoods throughout the night.
01:34In old Dhaka, this Hindu group has just started their round.
01:39We're afraid there might be attacks here.
01:42That's why we're trying our best to protect this area and this temple.
01:47But I know these attacks are not against any particular community, Hindu or Muslim.
01:52The assailants just want to create communal tension.
01:57Mohammad Yunus, the interim government leader, visited a Hindu temple in Dhaka
02:03and urged people to set aside their religious differences and stay united.