"Eight-point demand must be accepted," says Bangladesh minority alliance in protest rally

By Masud Karim
Dhaka [Bangladesh], October 4 : A minority alliance in Bangladesh took to the streets of Dhaka on Friday, demanding that the government accept their eight-point demand to ensure the safety and well-being of minority communities in the country.
The alliance made this demand at a mass rally at the central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka. Thousands of people from the minority community from all over Bangladesh joined the rally.
Esteemed spiritual leaders from various temples and monasteries across the country, especially from Dhaka and Chittagong, students from various colleges and universities, leaders of minority communities, concerned citizens from various professions and representatives of the Bangladesh Combined Minority Alliance were present at the rally.
The Bangladesh Combined Minority Alliance, which organised the rally ahead of Durga Puja, said that the minority community across Bangladesh has been facing atrocities, including arson, vandalism, looting, forced occupation, murder, rape, threats of exile, and extrajudicial killings under the guise of mob justice since August 5.
Two months ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh's Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people. Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5 and an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed.
The minority groups in Bangladesh alleged Hindus were attacked immediately after the political changes, but the interim government says those were not religious but political in nature.
Speakers at the mass rally urged for protest agaisnt the "unprecedented communal attacks" on minority communities across the country, to stop all injustice, to provide proper compensation to the victims, to ensure exemplary punishment to the culprits by bringing them under the law quickly, and the speedy implementation of the eight-point preannounced demand.
The eight-point demands by the minority include - Guaranteeing justice for the persecution of minorities, especially, the Sanatani Hindus. A "Neutral Investigation Commission" must be formed, followed by the establishment and effective functioning of a "Fact-track Trial Tribunal" to provide swift and appropriate punishment to the perpetrators, along with adequate compensation and rehabilitation for the victims.
The demands also include enacting a "Minority Protection Act" immediately; forming a "Ministry of Minority Affairs"; upgrading the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust to a "Hindu Foundation" as well as upgrading the Buddhist and Christian Religious Welfare Trusts into foundations.
The other demands are enacting a "Law for the Recovery and Preservation of Endowed Property" and properly implementing the "Vested Property Return Act"; building "Place of Worship" for minority students at all Public/Private Universities, University College, and every Higher Education institution, and allocate prayer rooms in every hostel; modernising the "Sanskrit and Pali Education Board"; and declaring a 5-day public holiday for the Sharadiya Durga Puja festival. Along with this, necessary leave must be provided for the major religious festivals of each minority community.