Minorities call for hunger strike in Bangladesh. Huge protests against Bangladesh violence in Assam’s Barak Valley.

The protest was called by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). (HT Photo).

Protests against Bangladesh violence rock Assam’s Barak Valley.

More than ten thousand people in three districts of Barak Valley part of Assam on Monday gathered to protest violence on religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Biswa Kalyan Purkayastha | HT Online | Karimganj  | Oct 18, 2021:: More than ten thousand people in three districts of Barak Valley part of Assam on Monday gathered to protest violence on religious minorities in Bangladesh. They burnt Bangladesh’s National flag, attempted to cross Indo-Bangadesh international border and called for boycotting Bangladeshi products, officials said.

The protest was called by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) where members of several organisations, including Bharat Sevasram Sangha, Sankar Math, Gauriya Math, Bajrang Dal, women’s wing of RSS, joined.

In Karimganj district, where the border is divided by the Kushiyara river, hundreds of protesters attempted to cross it and go to Bangladesh. While in Hailakandi, Bangladesh’s national flag was burnt to mark the protest.

The protesters sent memorandums to prime minister Narendra Modi and requested the government to stop all kinds of trades with Bangladesh. They also blamed that Bangladesh is trying to vacate the Hindus and this act of violence is part of that conspiracy.

Former MLA from Karimganj district and senior BJP leader Ranjan Das said, “If India cuts all the trade relations with Bangladesh, like we did it with Pakistan in past, the country will be bound to starve. Also, India is the largest consumer of Bangladesh’s food products. We are going to boycott each and every food product coming from Bangladesh. We have sent a letter to prime minister Narendra Modi and requested him to give a strong message to Bangladesh so that the Hindus living there don’t face harassment anymore.”

President of Karimganj BJP, Subrata Bhattacharjee, said, “Bangladesh has forgotten that India saved them from Pakistan and gave them the identity of an independent nation. Our forces won the war against Pakistan in 1971 and if we wanted, the entire country would have been part of India at that time. The people attacking Hindus in Bangladesh should understand that we can do this even today if required.”

After taking out a massive rally in Karimganj district, the protesters gathered at the bank of Kushiyara and suddenly some people jumped into the river. They said, “We are going to Bangladesh to protect the Hindus there.” However, border security forces stopped them and requested not to do this again.

In Cachar district, the rally started from Subhash Nagar ground and thousands of protesters gathered in front of the deputy commissioner’s office.

VHP leader Mithun Nath while addressing the protesters, said, “We worshipped the same idol here which were vandalised in Bangladesh. I was surprised to see people dancing here on the streets while going for immersion. As if they don’t know what is happening with the Hindus in Bangladesh and how the idols of Maa Durga were vandalised there. It’s time we started thinking of ourselves as global Hindus and stop pretending as seculars.”

Purna Chandra Mandal from VHP said, “It has been proven that the Quran was placed along with Durga idol by a Muslim man in Cumilla pandal. Still, more than 200 pandals across 30 districts in Bangladesh were vandalised by Muslims. ISKON temple, where there was no Durga Puja, was attacked and devotees were killed. It is a part of a conspiracy to vacate Hindus from Bangladesh. If this continues, we’ll enter into Bangladesh’s territory in mass numbers to protect our brothers and sisters.”

Minorities call for hunger strike in Bangladesh.

PTI | Dhaka | Oct 17, 2021:: A Hindu temple has been vandalised in Bangladesh in a fresh case of communal unrest amid days of violence and protests over alleged blasphemy, prompting a minority group to announce a countrywide hunger strike, media reports said on Sunday.

Hindu-owned temples and shops in Feni, about 157 km from the country’s capital, have been vandalised and robbed during fresh clashes on Saturday, which broke out after an attack on demonstrators who were protesting against the attacks on Durga Puja venues in several places in Bangladesh, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

The clashes left at least 40 people, including the officer in-charge Nizamuddin of Feni Model Police Station, injured, it said.

On Saturday night, authorities deployed additional police forces and the paramilitary force — Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), after several temples and businesses were vandalised and robbed, the report said.

Meanwhile in Chittagong, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council announced a sit-in and hunger strike from October 23.

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Courtesy: Hindustan Times & PTI.