External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting in New Delhi on the escalating concerns arising from attacks on Hindus in neighboring Bangladesh. If both the houses of Parliament are in order, sources suggest that Jaishankar will address the matter formally soon.
Violence in Bangladesh intensified after the arrest at Dhaka airport on November 25 of Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu, a one-time ISKCON leader. Violence broke out when he was arrested on counts of sedition, denied bail, and thus taken into custody. This escalated when other protesters killed lawyer Saiful Islam Alif in Chittagong while protesting for the release of the monk.
The Chief Advisor of the interim government in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, protested against the killing of Alif and called for an investigation. But even today, Hindus in Bangladesh feel the pulse and complain of the rowing incidence of violence and discrimination against minorities under the Yunus regime.
The Indian Government, through the Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, told Parliament that the Indian government has asked Bangladesh to provide security to its Hindu community and their places of worship. Current political activists, such as Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, have demanded firm actions. While Banerjee called for Central intervention, Tharoor seemed to be extremely worried about the situation, calling it grave and troubling.
Globally, Hindu Americans have appealed to the American government to tie its commitment of funds to Bangladesh to the protection of its minorities. More than 200 attacks on the Hindu community have been recorded in 50 districts since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August this year.
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