New Delhi: Three days before Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s Dhaka visit for high-level diplomatic talks, former National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Rajiv Jain condemned violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh, calling it ‘a genocide’.
“When organizations meant to protect rights fail, it becomes a matter of grave concern,” Jain said Friday at a press conference in Lutyens’ Delhi.
Flanked by portraits of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder K.B. Hedgewar and Sangh’s second sarsanghchalak M.S. Gowalkar, Jain criticised growing inability of human rights organisations and the judiciary in Bangladesh to defend minority communities, warning that the country’s institutions are failing to protect its vulnerable populations.
Joining Jain at the press conference was Veena Sikri, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh and the only woman to have held the position. Sikri painted a grim picture of the political landscape in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on 5 August.
She noted a rise in violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh, particularly Hindus, which she described as “worse than anything seen after the 1971 Liberation War”. Sikri argued that violence has escalated since formation of the interim government under Muhammad Yunus, with Islamist forces such as Jamaat-e-Islami playing a central role.
“The regime change has ushered in a government backed by extremist factions, and what we’re witnessing now is Pakistan’s playbook—reducing minority populations to near extinction,” Sikri said. “Yunus is unable to do anything about the attacks and the situation because Islamic groups hold the power and the government is in complete denial.”
Sikri’s remarks came as part of a broader push by Delhi Civil Society, an umbrella outfit comprising more than 200 organisations, formed last month in response to violence against minorities in Bangladesh. Delhi Civil Society is planning a march to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on 10 December (Human Rights Day) to protest the ‘genocide against Hindus and other minorities’ in the neighbouring country.
It also intends to present a memorandum demanding immediate international intervention to that effect.
The Hindu community in Bangladesh, said Sikri, suffered more than 200 attacks across 50 districts since the fall of Hasina’s Awami League government in August. These incidents have led to mounting international concern and strained diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, the country’s largest minority advocacy group, in a written statement Thursday condemned instances of violence against minorities, including attacks in the Sunamganj district, and called for swift action against perpetrators.
The arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote, has added to tensions.
Das, who was arrested on sedition charges on 25 November, was denied bail by a Chattogram court the next day. As ThePrint reported earlier, his bail hearing has been postponed for a month owing to unavailability of a lawyer willing to represent him. His arrest sparked protests across India, including outside the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata.
In response to the unrest, Bangladesh Friday summoned Shikder Mohammad Ashrafur Rahman, its Acting Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, for consultations. Rahman will also be part of the Bangladesh delegation attending the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks with India.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala earlier this week suspended visa and consular services, citing security concerns after protesters breached the premises. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry later summoned the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to register its protest.
Despite the diplomatic friction, Md. Touhid Hossain, adviser on foreign affairs to the interim government, confirmed that Foreign Secretary-level talks will take place in Dhaka on 9 and 10 December. “It is very clear that we want a good relationship with India,” he told reporters Wednesday.
The talks will mark the first high-level diplomatic exchange between the two countries since the formation of the interim government.
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