Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday warned Bangladeshis against attacking the minority Hindu community, saying such assaults could have repercussions in neighbouring India.
“Don’t forget that Muslims are the minority in India. So, if you attack Hindus here (Bangladesh), minority Muslims may be attacked in India,” she told a rally in southwestern Satkhira district.
“People of all religious faiths would continue to enjoy equal rights in Bangladesh...I want to warn you not to break the peace of the people, otherwise you have to pay for it.”
Satkhira witnessed widespread violence, with minority Hindus being major victims, ahead of the controversial January 5 polls that were swept by Hasina’s Awami league after the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted the general election.