By Sumi Khan Dhaka, Nov 5 : The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad (BHBCUC) has announced nationwide rallies and sit-in programmes on Saturday to protest against violence towards minorities in the country, a senior official said. At least 17 people belonging to the minority communities have been killed in sectarian violence this year amid the ongoing Covis-19 pandemic. "Organised communal violence by the fundamentalists against the minorities should be stopped immediately. There is no other option besides unifying all against the ethnic cleansing by the fundamental forces of Bangladesh," BHBCUC General Secretary Rana Dasgupta told IANS. He said that the rallies and sit-in programmes would be held from 10 a.m. till 12 p.m. The protests in Dhaka will be held at Shahbag, while in Chittagong city they will be staged at the New Market intersection. According to the BHBCUC, this year a number of incidents of violence against the minorities have come to the light. Besides the 17 victims, there have been attempts to murder 10 people and 11 others faced life threats. Besides, several incidents of rape and forceful kidnapping against women of the minority communities also took place. The BHHCUC said that other incidents like vandalising Durga idols, attacks on temple, threat to people to leave their own country have also been reported. "It's a great misfortune for the minorities of Bangladesh. All of the minority people fought for the independent of Bangladesh under the great leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971, with the great hope to establish a secular democratic country that will be free from all sort of exploitation, discrimination, deprivation and persecution," Dasgupta added. /IANS