And six major demands. During the tenure of Muhammad Yunus's then government, allegations of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh have surfaced one after another in the last one and a half years.
The Yunus government has been denying it from the beginning. They claim that the vast majority of the incidents were politically motivated. Bangladesh's minority community is concerned about their security ahead of the elections. They have demanded the deployment of the army if necessary to ensure that minorities can vote without fear. The joint platform of Bangladesh's minority communities on Thursday submitted seven such demands to the current government and the Election Commission of Bangladesh. The well-known elections in Bangladesh are scheduled to be held on February 12. However, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad is skeptical about how well minorities will be able to participate in the electoral process without any obstacles. During the tenure of Muhammad Yunus's government, allegations of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh have surfaced one after another in the last one and a half years. Questions have been raised about the protection of minorities. Although the Yunus government has been denying it since the beginning. They claim that most of the incidents are politically motivated. In this situation, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has expressed doubts about the Yunus government's role in 'minority oppression'. The businessmen have demanded that minorities be ensured equal rights to participate in the electoral process. They have presented a total of seven demands to Yunus' current government and the country's Election Commission.
1. An environment must be created so that religious and ethnic minorities get equal opportunities to campaign.
2. The use of religion and communalism in campaigning must be banned. If any birthday or candidate does so, the commission must take punitive action.
3. It must be ensured that minorities and indigenous people can vote despite fear and obstacles. If necessary, the army must be deployed to provide protection to minorities and indigenous people.
4. Before the elections, minority-dominated areas in Bangladesh must be identified as 'risky'. Apart from the police, there should be regular patrols using the army, RAB and BGB.
5. The commission should inform the district magistrate, superintendent of police, political parties and candidates about the steps taken by the commission for the protection of minorities. It should also be broadcast on radio and television.
6. All kinds of religious places of worship should be banned from being used for election campaigning.
7. If any candidate makes religiously hateful statements or spreads rumors, his candidacy should be cancelled and criminal action should be taken.
Recently, Dhaka has become heated again after the death of young Bangladeshi leader Osman Hadi. Unrest has spread in a unique part of Bangladesh. Meanwhile, allegations of atrocities on minorities have also surfaced. The Bangladesh Minority Forum is concerned about the escalating situation. They are also alleging that the Yunus government and the commission are not taking any concrete steps to ensure the protection of minorities before, during and after the elections.
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