Prime Minister Narendra Modi met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday afternoon to discuss the escalating tensions in Bangladesh following the arrest of Iskcon priest Chinmoy Krishna Das and the increasing attacks on religious minorities, including Hindus in the neighbouring country.
Sources to CNN News18 said that Jaishankar is expected to make a statement in both houses of Parliament on Friday (November 29) if the proceedings are not disrupted by the Opposition.
Protests intensified in Bangladesh again this week after police arrested Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu on November 25 from Dhaka airport.
Das faces sedition charges for allegedly disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag during a rally in October. On Tuesday, a day after his arrest, he was produced before a court in Chittagong which denied his bail.
The denial of bail fuelled more protests by the Hindu community in Bangladesh, which constitutes only about 8 per cent of the 170 million population, complaining of rising atrocities against the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Earlier, India condemned Das’s arrest and expressed concern over attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs, also urged that those responsible for the violence against minorities be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials will brief the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on the situation in Bangladesh on December 11, panel’s chairperson Shashi Tharoor said on Thursday.
“It is not only the foreign ministry that is keeping an eye on the situation, all concerned Indians are worried about some of the reports coming in from Bangladesh. So, we will follow it very closely,” Tharoor, who was a former of state for external affairs told reporters outside Parliament.
On Wednesday, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said the attack on Hindus in Bangladesh reflects that the Yunus-led interim government was in the “clutches of fundamentalists” and sought the United Nations’ intervention in the matter.
“The caretaker ‘prime minister’ of Bangladesh is in the clutches of fundamentalists. The way Hindus are being attacked is against humanity. The United Nations should intervene in this matter,” the minister told reporters in the Parliament complex.
Meanwhile, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), an Indian-American body, condemned the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. It also urged US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump for an independent inquiry into the rising incidents of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
FIIDS also raised apprehensions that Bangladesh is turning into a “radicalised Islamic state” and even urged Biden and Trump to address the “imprisonment of Chinmoy Krishna Das and the continued attacks against Hindus and other minorities.”
“Bangladesh is rapidly descending into a radicalised Islamic state, all under the watch of the US, the State Department, and the UN who must act now to restore democracy and protect minorities. I request not only President Biden but would urge President Trump and his transition team to give priority to the restoration of peace and protect minorities in Bangladesh,” Khanderao Kand, FIIDS president, said in a letter to Trump on Wednesday.
In a separate letter to Biden, Kand said: “Bangladesh’s progress as a democratic and inclusive society depends on safeguarding the rights of all its citizens, including its most vulnerable populations. We trust that your leadership will champion these values and help restore hope for those who continue to face oppression and displacement.”
As per reports, Hindus in Bangladesh have faced over 200 attacks in 50-odd districts since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5.
After Hasina fled Dhaka, the Bangladeshi Army took control of the country’s government before giving the charge to an interim administration, headed by Yunus.
With inputs from agencies.
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Modi meets Jaishankar amid India’s concerns over Bangladesh situation after Iskcon priest’s arrest
