The US has stressed the need for respect for religious and other fundamental freedoms, and basic human rights in Bangladesh amid alleged attacks on minorities.

"We are clear that there needs to be the respect of fundamental freedoms; there needs to be respect of religious freedom and basic human rights," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said while answering questions related to Bangladesh during a regular press briefing on Tuesday.

Two British MPs recently urged the UK government to engage with the Bangladesh government about the alleged violence against minorities. A journalist drew Patel's attention to the issue and asked if the US would address this concern through diplomatic and policy measurement.

"So we are consistent with every government in which we have a relationship with … Any kind of protests should be and need to be peaceful, and that any kind of crackdown – not even crackdown – that governments need to respect the rule of law, they need to respect basic human rights as part of that. And that's something we'll continue to emphasize," Patel said.

Asked if the US would take steps regarding the arrest of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in Bangladesh, Patel said he did not have the details surrounding that case.

"But again, we continue to stress and emphasize that even those who are in detention need to be afforded appropriate representation and need to be treated with basic fundamental freedoms and human rights," he added.

US Congressman Brad Sherman on Tuesday also urged the interim government of Bangladesh to "demonstrate leadership" in stopping alleged violence against minorities.

"Bangladesh's interim government has an absolute obligation to protect its Hindu minority and meaningfully address the protests of thousands of minority Hindus in outcry over the recent wave of attacks and harassment," Sherman said in a statement.

"With the calls for an investigation from the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk for killings and other rights violations during the violent unrest leading up to and after the fall of Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the current administration must demonstrate leadership in eliminating acts of violence against the Hindu community," he added.