to religiously offensive Facebook posts. Some marginalized groups and individuals often spread hatred against minorities.’

He said that in recent weeks, there have been greater efforts by the interim government, political, religious and civil society leaders to keep people calm during religiously motivated incidents. Some of them have shown remarkable political maturity during these incidents.

However, he claimed that the reports of the Unity Council have systematically exaggerated the incidents of violence against minorities.

“We hope that leading secular and liberal newspapers will conduct their own investigations into the alleged incidents of violence against minorities. We hope that international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, will also conduct similar investigations,” the press secretary said.

He noted, “Human Rights Watch did an excellent investigation into the massacre of Hefazat workers in 2013. I hope they will do a similar investigation here.”

He noted that if the government works to refute these rumors, there may be a skeptical view of its report.

Alam said, “Let independent newspapers and human rights organizations investigate these incidents. This is a serious issue, because the issue of Bangladesh has been unfairly presented in the international media and in the top parliamentary hearings of influential countries.”

He added, “Some are calling for sending UN peacekeepers to Bangladesh or intervening inside the country based on these reports. That is why the caretaker government wants a fair investigation into the alleged incidents of minority persecution.”