Dhaka torch procession calls for minority rights

Protesters held a torch procession in Dhaka to demand better treatment of minorities in the country following a sedition charge against 19 people, according to local reports.

The procession was led by the Bangladesh United Minority Alliance after the 19 were said to have disrespected Bangladesh’s national flag in the southeastern city of Chittagong.

The protesters called for the withdrawal of the charges against the 19, who included Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, the divisional organizing secretary of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, local reports said.

Rally came after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for minority protection and a national process of truth and healing, following protests that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August.

The protests began as a student-led movement against public-sector job quotas in July. Human rights groups had accused Hasina of using excessive force against protesters, a charge she denied.

The unrest was some of the deadliest since the country's independence in 1971.

The unrest continued after Hasina fled as her party officials and supporters faced the wrath of demonstrators. Attacks were reported against Bangladeshi minorities.

Violence swept through the Jatiya Party's central office in Dhaka, Bangladesh as a raging mob clashed with party members and set the building ablaze.

Rioters were seen destroying furniture and vandalizing posters of party chairman Ghulam Muhammed Quader, while others set fires within the building.

The Jatiya Party, founded by former President Hussain Mohammad Ershad in 1986, has been a significant player in Bangladesh politics. The party has since undergone various transformations over the years, including a brief alliance with ousted Prime Minister Sheik Hasina's Awami League in 2019.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack on Jatiya Party’s office.