UN, US Call For Ending Violence Against B’desh Hindus

United Nations, the United States of America and Amnesty International have condemned the attacks on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh and called for the protection of their lives and liberties. The UN has asked the Hasina government to conduct an impartial inquiry into the attacks on the people of the Hindu community.  Bangladesh has witnessed a spell of violence against Hindus during  Durga Puja celebrations following social media posts about the alleged desecration of the Quran in a Durga Puja pandal in Comilla district. “Recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, fuelled by hate speech on social media, are against the values of the Constitution and need to stop. We call upon all to join hands to strengthen inclusive tolerant Bangladesh, ” UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo said. Expressing concern over the attacks on the Hindu community,  non-government organisation Amnesty International said in a statement that the attacks in Bangladesh are symptomatic of a “growing anti-minority sentiment in the country. Such repeated attacks against individuals, communal violence and destruction of the homes and places of worship of minorities in Bangladesh over the years show that the state has failed in its duty to protect minorities,”  South Asia Campaigner of Amnesty International  Saad Hammadi said adding freedom of religion or belief is a human right. In Washington,  the US State Department said,  “Every person around the world, regardless of their religious affiliation or belief, should feel safe. Meanwhile, hundreds of people held protests in Dhaka, Delhi. Kolkata and other cities calling for an end to the violence. Demonstrators at the Dhaka University held banners that urged the police to identify the attackers and take action against them, Reuters reported. On Sunday, mobs set fire to at least 25 houses and shops belonging to people of the Hindu community living in three villages of Rangpur district. The police have detained at least 42 people in connection with the violence. Reacting to the  violence Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said  “The incident in Comilla that triggered the violence was orchestrated by some people to disturb inter-community ties and defame our government.” The situation remained tense in Chittagong and Comilla where some of the worst communal attacks were witnessed. As per media reports, there were deaths of at least four attackers in police firing and two devotees of the ISKCON temple in the Noakhali district. Vice-President of ISKCON, Kolkata, Radharaman Das has condemned the attack on the ISKCON temple in Bangladesh and urged Prime Minister Narendra  Modi to take up the issue with his  Bangladesh counterpart  Sheikh Hasina as Bangladesh claimed that 71 cases have been filed and over 450 persons arrested in connection with the incidents. Edited by PK Chakravarty. Picture courtesy: ZEE5