Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 9: The Indian government on Friday constituted a committee to monitor the current situation on the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB), even as hundreds of Bangladeshi Hindus took to the streets in Dhaka to protest a series of targeted attacks on minority communities following the ouster of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government earlier this week.
Dozens of Hindus, who make up about 8 percent of the country’s population of 170 million, carried posters demanding to be “saved,” chanted slogans such as “Who are we? Bengali, Bengali,” and appealed for peace as they blocked an intersection in the capital.
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the committee headed by the ADG, Border Security Force, Eastern Command, would maintain communication channels with their counterpart authorities in Bangladesh to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals, Hindus, and other minority communities living there.
The other members of the committee included IG, BSF Frontier HQ South Bengal, IG, BSF Frontier HQ Tripura, Member (Planning and Development), and Secretary, LPAI. The Ministry of External Affairs too on Thursday informed that officials are in touch with the post-Hasina administration to ensure safety for remaining officials in its missions and citizens who are scattered across Bangladesh.
Since the Awami League leader Hasina resigned and fled to India on Monday, Hindu temples, households, and businesses have been vandalized, and several Hindu leaders affiliated with the party have been killed in the violence.
“#Bangladesh #Hindus have taken to the streets in #Shahbagh #Dhaka to protest the attacks on their person, properties, and places of worship since Aug 5,” the Awami League said in a post on social media platform ‘X’. This protest came a day after Nobel laureate Yunus took oath as the head of an interim government in Bangladesh. Yunus, 84, was administered the oath of office at a ceremony at the presidential palace ‘Bangabhaban’.
Yunus was appointed as the head of the interim government on Tuesday after Hasina resigned. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to Yunus and had expressed hope for a swift return to normalcy and safety of Hindus in Bangladesh. “My best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities. We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities,” Modi in a post on X. “India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfil the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development,” he had said.
Amid violence against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he stands against any racially based attacks or incitement to violence. “What we’ve made clear is we want to make sure that the violence that has been occurring in Bangladesh in recent weeks is stamped down. Certainly, we stand against any racially based attacks or racially based incitement to violence,” Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, has said.
Two prominent Indian-American lawmakers have called for an immediate end to the ongoing brutal violence against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. The Congressmen have also urged the prime minister Muhammad Yunus, to uphold the rule of law as he takes over the reins of the interim government.
The remarks by two influential Congressmen come a day after scores of Hindu American groups met State Department officials amidst the spike in crime against the minority Hindu community and the destruction of Hindu temples in Bangladesh. They also said the failure of Congress and the administration to acknowledge and condemn the violence against Hindus and other religious minorities is unacceptable.
“Bangladeshi students had just human rights concerns against PM Hasina. It’s good she is gone. But the violence now targeting Hindus is wrong. PM Yunus must uphold the rule of law & prevent the targeting of temples or people of any political party or faith from violence,” Ro Khanna, Congressman said in a post on X on Thursday.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said, “As Bangladesh prepares to swear in its interim government, I urge all government officials, the new administration and police chief, and the people of Bangladesh to do all they can to end the violence that has emerged across the country, including the brutal targeting of the country’s Hindu minority, their homes, businesses, and their temples.”
“The violence must stop and those responsible must be brought to justice to help the people of Bangladesh move forward as a nation. I will continue to closely monitor developments in Bangladesh in coordination with the US State Department,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.
Earlier on Tuesday, the US had expressed deep concern about the continued violence in Bangladesh including attacks on members of religious or political groups, and said it would be vital for the new government to credibly investigate all such instances and provide justice to victims.