Minority Teachers Face Violence and Resignation Amid Political Turmoil in Bangladesh

Following the ousting of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, 49 teachers from minority communities in Bangladesh were forced to resign. This occurred amid widespread violence against religious and ethnic minorities. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the interim Chief Advisor, pledges to promote interfaith harmony.

At least 49 teachers from minority communities in Bangladesh were forced to resign following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, as reported by a minority organisation in the country's violence-hit regions. The Bangladesh Chhatra Oikya Parishad, the student wing of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, disclosed this information during a press conference on Saturday, stated The Daily Star newspaper.

The organisation's coordinator, Sajib Sarkar, noted that in the student-led violence that erupted after 76-year-old Prime Minister Hasina's ouster, minority teachers faced physical assaults, leading to the forced resignation of at least 49 educators. However, 19 of them have since been reinstated, according to the report.

Sarkar also highlighted the widespread violence that religious and ethnic minorities endured during this period, including attacks, looting, assaults on women, vandalism of temples, arson, and even killings. Following the Hasina-led Awami League government's departure, Bangladesh witnessed numerous violent incidents targeting Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian communities.

Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5 amid unprecedented anti-government protests led by students angered by a controversial quota system in government jobs. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, 84, who serves as the Chief Advisor, has committed to fostering interfaith harmony, promising a Bangladesh where everyone can practice their faith freely, without fear, and where no temple needs guarding.

Data compiled by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad indicate that in the aftermath of the Hasina government's fall, minority communities faced at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts. More than 230 people were killed in the violence following the government collapse, bringing the total death toll to over 600 since the anti-quota protests began in mid-July.

(With inputs from agencies.)