DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Awami League party has strongly criticised the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, expressing deep concern over what it described as a “brutal and systematic campaign of minority persecution” carried out over the past year.
The party mentioned that over 2, 442 attacks on minorities were documented under Yunus’ regime, alleging that these incidents are “ignored, enabled, or even supported by the state.”
“August 5, 2024, wasn’t a turning point. It was a green light. In just 16 days, ethnic cleansing swept the country. And the world? Still applauds Yunus. The genocide of 1971 was supposed to be our last. But under Yunus, it has returned, ” the Awami League posted on X.
The party questioned whether Bangladesh is still the same country or has it become a "Taliban state in disguise".
“From August 2024 to August 2025, what has occurred in Bangladesh surpasses even the atrocities committed by Pakistani forces during 1971. Under the direct patronage and protection of the Yunus regime, a coordinated campaign of religious cleansing, ethnic persecution, and planned genocide of minority communities has taken place across the country, ” the party stated.
Highlighting the atrocities against Hindu minorities across several districts in Bangladesh, the party mentioned that in Barishal, a Hindu family was beaten, and received death threats; in Habiganj, a College student, Monpriya Sarkar went missing; and in Cumilla, a Hindu woman was gang-raped in her home. Additionally, in Khilkhet, government forces bulldozed a Durga temple, while in the Thakurgaon region, idols were smashed, temples burned, and the community forced into exile.
The Awami League stated, “Qawmi madrasas teach hate, Army officers mock Hindu chants, police whisper genocide, temples are now tombs and belief is now a battlefield.”
The party added that Bangladesh has become “a graveyard for its minorities” and what started as unrest last year has evolved into “organised religious cleansing”.