In his first direct reference to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s newly appointed interim government head, Muhammad Yunus, declared on Monday that “the monster is finally gone,” in a clear critique of the former PM. Yunus, who is celebrated for his Nobel Peace Prize-winning work in microfinance and the founding of the Grameen Bank, praised the student leaders and protesters who played a crucial role in the violent uprising against Hasina’s democratically-elected government. The 84-year-old Yunus lauded the students for their “incomparable” efforts in ending what he termed Hasina’s autocratic regime.
Here are the latest updates from Bangladesh:
1. Muhammad Yunus, the chief of Bangladesh’s interim government, is scheduled to meet with Bengali Hindu leaders on Tuesday. He has pledged to hold accountable those responsible for attacks on minority places of worship and for engaging in looting and arson, according to News18.
2. Khalid Hossain, the religious adviser to the interim government, affirmed on Monday that the Ministry of Religion has consistently supported religious minorities and will continue to do so in the future.
3. Protests by Hindus and other minority communities persist globally, including in Bangladesh and India. The Mashiahati Regional Durga Puja Celebration Committee, a Hindu Bengali organization, organized significant demonstrations in Abhaynagar, Jessore, on Monday.
4. Two students involved in the protests, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, have been appointed to a 16-member advisory council and took their oaths alongside Yunus.
5. A senior Bangladeshi official stated on Monday that Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India will not affect the bilateral relationship between the two nations. “The relationship between the countries is robust and based on mutual interests, so the stay of one individual will not alter this dynamic,” the official was quoted as saying.