Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina submitted her resignation after agitations against reservation in Bangladesh took a violent turn. The anti-Government movement turned against the Hindus there. The protestors are targeting Hindus, leading to deliberate killings (a councillor and a journalist were murdered in cold blood), attacks on Hindu homes (including a heritage home belonging to a famous singer), looting of shops, vandalism and arson of temples, and rapes. This has created a climate of fear among the Hindu minority. Even though the Bangladesh Army has promised to protect the Hindus, the Indian Government should not rely on it. Hindu Janajagruti Samiti has urged the Prime Minister, Government of India and the Minister for Home Affairs to take immediate steps to protect the Hindu community and temples there.
Harrowing videos of atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh circulating on social media are a grim reminder that the situation risks devolving to that akin to Pakistan, with a potential for Hindu genocide there if the Indian Government does not intervene in time.
Accordingly, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti demanded –
1. The Bangladesh High Commissioner be summoned and strict instructions be issued to the armed forces in Bangladesh to ensure attacks on Hindus, looting of houses, attacks on temples, vandalism of Idols, atrocities on women are stopped.
2. Immediate measures be taken to seal India’s border with Bangladesh given the past infiltration of nearly 5 crore Bangladeshis into India and the possibility of infiltration increasing following the anarchy there.
3. The Government of India should raise this issue at the United Nations and demand that a UN delegation visit and present a report on Bangladesh.
4. The Hindus be relocated to safe areas and provided with immediate security in view of the rising attacks.
5. The lives & properties lost by Hindus in the violence should be immediately and adequately compensated.
6. The Hindus displaced by the violence who seek asylum in India should be granted asylum under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) drew attention to the following issues :
1. Between 1965 and 2006, about 2.6 lakh acres of land owned by Hindus were seized under the controversial Vested Property Act 2013 (the erstwhile Enemy Property Act) in Bangladesh. Over 12 lakh Hindu families were affected by this.
2. Between 1980 and 1990, fundamentalist movements against Hindus gained momentum. When the disputed structure in Babri came down in 1992, Hindu temples were set ablaze in Chittagong and Dhaka.
3. Hindus were targeted during the Bangladesh Liberation War because Pakistanis considered Hindus guilty of separatism.
4. According to the official census of 1951, Hindus constituted 22 per cent of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) population. By 1991, this number had dropped to 15 per cent. In the 2011 census, this number came down to 8.5 per cent. In 2022, it has become less than 8 per cent. At the same time, Muslims have increased from 76 per cent in 1951 to more than 91 per cent in 2022.
5. According to a report by the Hindu American Foundation, between 1964 and 2013, more than 1 crore 10 lakh Hindus fled Bangladesh due to religious persecution. The 2011 census revealed that 10 lakh Hindus disappeared from the country’s population between 2000 and 2010.
6. Between January and June 2016, violence targeting Hindus in Bangladesh resulted in 66 houses being burned down, 24 people being maimed, and at least 49 temples destroyed.
The current violence could embolden fanatical Jihadi terrorists, who may subsequently escalate violence in India with support from hidden sympathizers. The Indian Police system, Administration, and all citizens must be vigilant and prepared to counter potential threats.
The current state of Bangladesh calls for immediate and decisive action from the Indian Government to protect the Hindu community in Bangladesh and safeguard India’s own security.
HJS has requested the Indian Government to keep the people of India apprised of the actions the Government takes in this matter.
(Sign Petition : hindujagruti.org/save-bangladeshi-hindus)
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