Protect religious minorities: Bangladesh's Chief Adviser asks security chiefs amid global image concerns

Dhaka: Noting that Bangladesh's country's global image "will be badly damaged" if it fails to protect its religious minorities, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Monday ordered security chiefs to take special measures to prevent attacks on them and safeguard the rights of every citizen.

Yunus gave the instructions while reviewing the law and order situation at a high-level meeting with security chiefs here, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

He directed police and law enforcement agencies to set up a command centre to intensively monitor the law and order situation in the country.

"We have to set up a command centre or a command headquarters, which will coordinate among all police and security agencies," the Chief Adviser told senior security officials.

He said the security agencies must ensure maximum use of the latest communication tools to make sure they can quickly intervene in any situation.

"Our global image will be badly damaged if we can't protect our religious minorities. We must be very transparent in this regard," Yunus said.

He ordered security chiefs to protect the rights of every citizen and take special measures to prevent attacks on religious or ethnic minorities.

There have been a spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities, as well as attacks on temples in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

The chief adviser said the new command structure would "skillfully and intensively" communicate with all security agencies and police stations across the country.

Yunus asked the security chiefs to stay alert against any attempt to disrupt the law and order, saying, "We should be alert like a war-time situation.” The meeting was attended by Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, Home Secretary Nasimul Gani, and chiefs of the police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Coast Guard, and Special Branch.