Congress calls for protection of religious minorities in Bangladesh
‘While noting that there have been influential voices within Bangladesh calling for the preservation of the country’s multi-religious heritage, the Indian National Congress expresses its concern at reports of targeted attacks on minorities there and their properties and places of worship,’ Congress’ communications chief Jairam Ramesh said
Bangladesh Hindu community members participate in a protest and block the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
In the backdrop of the ongoing violence against Awami League activists, professional journalists, and vulnerable religious and ethnic communities in Bangladesh, the Indian National Congress has called upon the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus to take “forceful steps” to deal with the situation. The party’s communications chief Jairam Ramesh’s call for upholding law and order in Bangladesh came at a time when the reported attacks on minority communities have continued despite the swearing-in of the interim administration.
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“While noting that there have been influential voices within Bangladesh calling for the preservation of the country’s multi-religious heritage, the Indian National Congress expresses its concern at reports of targeted attacks on minorities there and their properties and places of worship,” Mr. Ramesh said in a post on social media platform X, adding, “The Indian National Congress hopes that the interim Government in Bangladesh will take forceful steps to instill confidence in minority communities to lead their lives in an atmosphere of security, dignity and harmony.”
The statement from the Congress comes a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had attacked the party over its perceived silence on the reported violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Friday, BJP MP Anurag Thakur had questioned why the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had not spoken of it in his post congratulating Dr. Yunus. Mr. Thakur said Mr. Gandhi could talk about Gaza but chose to be silent about attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.
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In October 2023, Mr. Gandhi had spoken against violence in Gaza and called for an end to the “collective punishment” being inflicted on civilians by the Israeli military. On the same occasion, he had also condemned the October 7 killing of Israeli citizens by the Hamas.
The Congress had earlier congratulated Dr. Yunus, who took charge on Thursday. In a message, Mr. Ramesh had said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “has been a great admirer of his (Dr. Yunus’) work”.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Journalists’ Association (CJA) has “strongly” urged Dr. Yunus to take “swift action” to secure the safety journalists and media houses in Bangladesh. In a statement to Indian media outlets, the CJA has said that the offices of several media outlets had been ransacked by “violent intruders” since the military took control last week. CJA vice president and general secretary of the Bangladesh National Press Club Shyamal Dutta was targeted in one of these attacks. The CJA said the offices of several TV channels, including Ekattor TV, Somoy TV, ATN News, ATN Bangla, MY TV, Asian TV, Bijoy TV, and Gaan Bangla, had been vandalised.
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