Dhaka: Demonstrations were held in more than 60 places across the country, including the capital Dhaka, as protesters vented anger over anti-Hindu riots last week that left seven people dead.

The law-enforcing agencies and civil administration have utterly failed to protect the minority people, especially the Hindu people, said Rana Dasgupta, a leader of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist Christian Unity Council, which organised the rallies.

Dasgupta said the biggest protests were held in Bangladesh’s second-largest city of Chittagong where at least 15,000 people joined in. Another big rally took place in the Shahbagh neighbourhood of central Dhaka where several thousand gathered.

The anti-Hindu riots spread to many parts of the country after footage emerged of a Quran being placed on the knee of a Hindu god during celebrations for the festival Durga Puja.

Hindus make up about 10 percent of Bangladesh’s population. But the minority community has often fallen victim to communal violence in the country of 169 million. Bangladesh police have said they arrested about 500 suspects in connection with attacks on Hindu temples and other properties.