Bangladesh's ousted PM Sheikh Hasina condemns arrest of Hindu spiritual leader, demands his release

Dhaka: Deposed prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on Thursday condemned the arrest of Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and said the leader must be released immediately.

Das who was taken into custody earlier this week on sedition charges.

"A top leader of the Sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested, he must be released immediately," Hasina said in a statement.

"A temple has been burnt in Chittagong. Previously, mosques, shrines, churches, monasteries and homes of the Ahmadiyya community were attacked, vandalised and looted and set on fire. Religious freedom and security of life and property of people of all communities should be ensured," the former prime minister said in the statement posted on Awami League's X account.

Hasina fled to India on August 5 following widespread protests against her Awami League-led government over a controversial job quota system. Three days later, Yunus, a Nobel laureate, took over as the Chief Adviser of the interim government.

Hindu minority groups have been frequently reporting atrocities against their community members in different parts of Bangladesh, even after Yunus took charge.

There are also reports of the rise of extremist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and similar ideological extremist wings.