NEW DELHI, Aug 6: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday urged the Central government to take every possible step for the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh that is witnessing unrest.
The right-wing organisation claimed of getting many ‘distress calls’ from the neighbouring country and requested the government to not turn blind eye towards the atrocities being faced by the Hindus there.
Speaking to media, VHP president Alok Kumar said Hindus in Bangladesh were feeling “extremely unsafe.” “Religious places, business establishments and houses of Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities have been rampaged in Bangladesh in the recent past. Till last night, 22 houses in Panchgarh district alone, 20 houses in Jhenaidah and 22 shops in Jessore became targets of fundamentalists and in many districts even crematoriums were vandalised. There is hardly any district left in Bangladesh which has not become a target of their violence and terror,” said Mr Kumar.
He said it was appropriate to point out that Hindus, who were once 32% in Bangladesh, were now less than 8% and they too were victims of continuous persecution. Terming the situation ‘sensitive’, the VHP said it was the responsibility of the world community to take effective action for the safety of minorities and protection of human rights in Bangladesh.
“India can certainly not turn a blind eye in this situation and the VHP urges the Government of Bharat to take every possible step for the safety of minorities in Bangladesh,” said Mr Kumar. He warned the government of possible infiltration and hinted at the role of Pakistani spy body ISI in the turmoil that unfolded in Bangladesh in the last few weeks.
“It is possible that taking advantage of this situation, a big attempt may be made to orchestrate infiltration into the Indian territory through the 4,096-km Bangladesh border. We have to be extremely cautious about this. Therefore, it is necessary for our security forces to keep strict 24×7 vigil on the borders and not allow any kind of infiltration,” he said.
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev also condemned the targeted attacks on Hindu- temples, houses and commercial establishments in Bangladesh. He asked the Centre to do “all it can politically and diplomatically” to protect the Hindu minority there. He also asked the Centre to take action against people floating videos on social media platforms, intending to incite trouble and instability in India.
(Manas Dasgupta)
