Dhaka, Dec 7 (NationPress) Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and leader of the Bangladesh Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, vehemently criticized the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus for permitting extremist factions to function without restraint and commit horrific acts against non-Muslims, particularly targeting the Hindu community.

"The onus of responsibility falls on those currently in power who have neglected their fundamental obligation: to ensure the safety of all citizens impartially. The increase in violence against minorities is not coincidental; it has been facilitated by an unelected regime that has either ignored, dismissed, or minimized communal conflicts while allowing extremist groups to act with total freedom," Hasina conveyed in an exclusive email interview with IANS.

"Bangladesh was established as a secular state where people of all religions could coexist peacefully. The ongoing persecution of innocent Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Ahmadi Muslims, and other minority groups is a direct consequence of governmental failure and the political appeasement of extremist elements," she further stated.

As the violence against minorities rises, a tragic incident occurred on Tuesday where a Hindu man lost his life after jumping into a canal while attempting to escape a mob's accusations of theft in Mohadevpur upazila of Naogaon district, according to local media.

The victim, identified as 25-year-old Mithun Sarkar, sadly perished in this alarming event, which took place in the Chakgori locality of the upazila.

This incident marks the seventh occurrence in just 19 days and the third this week, underscoring a troubling uptick in violence directed at Hindu populations across Bangladesh.

Just on Monday, two Hindu males were murdered in separate occurrences within a single day. The first victim, 40-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani, was violently attacked in Narsingdi district on Monday night with sharp weapons, allegedly by an extremist religious group.

In the second incident, a Hindu businessman, 38-year-old Rana Pratap Bairagi, was shot dead in broad daylight in Monirampur Upazila of Jashore district.

Earlier, on Saturday, another Hindu individual, Khokon Chandra Das, was brutally assaulted by a mob in Damudya Upazila of Shariatpur district, leading to his death.

Last week, 40-year-old Bajendra Biswas was fatally shot by a colleague in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh district.

On December 24, Bangladeshi media reported the murder of another Hindu youth, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, who was reportedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union in Bangladesh.

On December 18, a 25-year-old Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, faced a horrific death in a mob lynching over false accusations of blasphemy; the mob killed Das and then grotesquely hung his body from a tree before setting it ablaze.

Bangladesh has seen a rise in violence against minorities, including Hindus, under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, igniting outrage among citizens and numerous global human rights organizations.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported 2,442 incidents of violence against minorities and over 150 temples vandalized between August 2024 and July 2025.

Various organizations have condemned Yunus, warning that Bangladesh is "slipping into a state of barbarism," with Hindus suffering the most.

Last month, Hasina criticized the "illegal" Yunus administration for inflicting unimaginable violence on non-Muslims.

In a Christmas message to Awami League supporters, Hasina remarked that the Yunus government has established "terrifying precedents" such as the burning of religious minorities.

"Recently, Bangladesh stood out as a beacon of communal harmony. The Father of the Nation dreamed of a non-communal Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Awami League worked tirelessly to turn that dream into reality, ensuring that people from all religions could live freely and without obstacles. It fought for equal rights and dignity for all faiths in Bangladesh," stated the former Prime Minister, shared by her party on social media.

"However, it is with profound sadness that I must declare that the current ruling faction, which has seized power unlawfully, is infringing upon the rights of all communities to practice their faiths. Particularly, it is committing horrific acts against non-Muslims and has set terrifying precedents like the burning of religious minorities. I am confident that the people of Bangladesh will not tolerate this dark era any longer," she concluded.