NEW DELHI: A group of protestors gathered outside the United Nations headquarters in New York to demonstrate against Bangladesh chief adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus. The protestors raised slogans of ‘terrorist, minority killer, Hindu killer Yunus, go back, step down’ outside the office.
“He (Yunus) took the power illegally. He threw a constitutionally elected legal government out and took over power.Our PM Sheikh Hasina had to plead to save her life. Under his (Yunus) leadership, more than 20,000 people were killed in Bangladesh,” a protestor told news agency ANI.
“We ask the secretary general of the UN and all the world leaders to come forward and bring it to the notice of the world, please stand by humanity and help us…” he added.
Prof Yunus, who is in the United States to attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has been facing protests since his arrival in New York.
On Tuesday, demonstrators gathered outside his hotel in New York voicing their anger with chants such as ‘Go back! Step down!’ and also held posters declaring, ‘Sheikh Hasina Our Prime Minister’.
“Yunus seized power unconstitutionally and illegally. He engaged in dirty politics. A lot of people have been killed. Our elected Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has yet to resign. We humbly request the UN not to allow him to represent the Bangladeshi people here,” Sheikh Jamal Hussain, a protestor, said.
Calling for peace, another protester said: “We believe in secular democracy. Since he took power by force, there have been attacks on Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. Homes, mosques, and churches are being burned. Our people are not safe in Bangladesh.”
After Hasina stepped down and fled to India on August 8, Yunus assumed leadership of the country’s interim government.
Her resignation followed massive demonstrations against the Awami League-led administration, which she headed, over a disputed employment quota system. The political turmoil led to outbreaks of violence nationwide, resulting in the deaths of more than 200 individuals.
In the wake of Hasina’s ouster, a group of protesters targeted minority temples, engaging in acts of vandalism, theft, and arson across the nation.