Hundreds protest in Dhaka against increasing threats against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh

Hundreds marched in Bangladesh’s capital on Saturday to demand protection for Hindus and other minorities who say they have done so faced violence and threats since the ouster of autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina falls during a student-led uprising in August saw a wave of reprisals against Hindus, who were seen as disproportionate supporters of her regime.

The interim government that replaced it, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has acknowledged and condemned attacks on Hindus but said in many cases they were motivated by politics rather than religion.

Regular protests in the months since allege the attacks continue and have demanded action from Yunus’ government, an “advisory council” tasked with implementing democratic reforms and organizing new elections.

“It is very unfortunate that the council of advisors does not recognize the suffering of minorities,” Hindu civic leader Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari told AFP.

“I have witnessed the atrocities against them – their temples, businesses and homes.”

Protest organizers have urged the interim government to, among other things, introduce a law to protect minorities and mandate a minimum share of minority representation in the government.

Tensions have been fueled by the filing of sedition charges this week against 19 people who took part in an earlier rally for minority rights in the port city of Chittagong.

The group was accused of disrespecting the national flag of Bangladesh by raising and flying a saffron flag above it.

“Accusing our leaders with false charges such as sedition has made us skeptical about the government’s intentions,” protest member Chiranjan Goswami told AFP.

Hindus are the largest minority faith in predominantly Muslim Bangladesh, accounting for about 8 percent of the population.

Attacks on Sufi shrines have also been reported, with suspicion of Islamists trying to curb alternative expressions of the Muslim faith.

Saturday’s demonstration came a day after 10,000 people attended a similar rally in Chittagong.

Minority leaders have vowed to hold more protests in the coming weeks.

Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter to neighboring India in August when protesters flooded the streets of Dhaka, marking a dramatic end to her iron rule.

Her government was accused of widespread human rights violations, including the extrajudicial killings of thousands of her political opponents during her fifteen-year rule.