New Delhi: A delegation of Hindus and other religious minorities from the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe, in a press conference held here Monday called on India and other countries to intervene in the situation unfolding in Bangladesh, saying the “illegal”, “jihadist” interim government led by Yunus has been persecuting Bangladeshi Hindus.
The delegation, assembled under the umbrella organisation—Global Bengali Hindu Coalition (which identifies itself as an organisation of Bengali Hindus, and all religious and ethnic minorities of Bangladesh)—included several speakers, such as Pushpita Gupta, Labour Party councillor for the London Borough of Redbridge.
Gupta is also the founder and president of the Secular Bangladesh Movement, UK.
“On behalf of the Bangladeshi expatriate Hindus and other religious minorities living in US, Canada, Europe and around the world, we have turned to you for assistance so that our relatives and friends who remain in Bangladesh can survive there in their ancestral homeland with safety, security and dignity of their women folks and life,” said Sitangshu Guha, a US-based leader of the group, reading out the delegation’s statement.
The delegation called for a five-point call for action, seeking immediate and decisive steps from global and Indian leadership to protect “endangered Hindus, other religious minorities, indigenous people, and tribal groups under [a] hostile and pro-jihadist illegal government in Bangladesh”.
The core appeals listed by the delegation include global intervention with the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping forces; establishing autonomous zones in Hindu-majority areas; completion of the unfinished population exchange, ensuring secure resettlement of displaced minorities; and reassessing peacekeeping contributions and UN sanctions based on compliance with UN standards of conduct.
The delegation also sought that the Indian government reconsider its strategy and align contributions with democratic and humanitarian values. “The population of Bangladeshi Hindus has been depleting since 1947. Now we are just 7.95 per cent of the population in Bangladesh,” Gupta said. She also highlighted that several incidents of violence targeting Hindu women have taken place in the country. “They have built madrasas everywhere but no mandirs (temples). No law was brought in to protect the Hindu and tribal minorities by any government,” Gupta said.
The delegation alleged that since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on 5 August, persecution of Hindu minorities has increased manifold in Bangladesh, including the desecration of Hindu places of worship.
They also said that since the interim government came to power, individuals associated with “militant activities” have been released.
Asked what the delegation wants India to do, Sushanta Das Gupta said India should treat Dhaka as it treats Islamabad. The delegation noted that while Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri’s visit Dhaka was a welcome step, nothing has really changed on the ground.
“No one is reporting cases of atrocities and violence on men, women, and children. Some clippings come in the vernacular media but not in the English media, which has a larger global audience. Victims can’t even report crime to the police because then they are attacked by the Islamists of this government,” Sushanta Das Gupta said.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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