NEW DELHI: India urged the Bangladesh government to take action against extremist elements and to ensure the safety of Hindus in the port city of Chittogong, where the cases of violence against the community erupted, the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday.
India’s response came to a clash that erupted between the Hindu community and the law enforcement forces amid a tense situation over a Facebook post criticizing ISKCON. Due to this, the joint forces of police and army conducted an operation there on Tuesday night and reportedly attacked the Hindu community.
Reacting on the attacks on the Hindu community, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have observed that there have been attacks on Hindu community in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Their properties have been looted, their business establishments have been looted. These happened following incendiary posts on social media targeting Hindu religious organisations.”
” It is understood that there are extremist elements who are behind such posts and such illegal criminal activities. This is bound to create further tensions in the community. We yet again urge the government of Bangladesh to take strong measures to ensure the safety of Hindus and to take action against extremist elements,” he added.
The unrest began after a local Muslim youth reportedly uploaded a post on Facebook criticizing ISKCON.
“The angry Hindu community people protested and clashed with the law-enforcing agencies. They threw bricks and other objects at the police. After the clashes, a joint operation conducted by law enforcing agencies, comprising police and army”, Saifuddin Tuhin, a local reporter from Chittagong told ANI over the phone.
“A local youth named Osman posted on Facebook demanding the banning of ISKCON. Law and order forces went there when tension arose. It has been alleged that something like acid was thrown at the law enforcement agencies”, said a Hindu community leader.
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen shared a distressing video of the clashes and claimed, “The army went to a Hindu shop in Hazari Lane, Chittagong last night and said, ‘Open the gate, come out, we will count till 3, if you don’t come out, we will shoot.'”
Hindus, comprising approximately 8 per cent of Bangladesh’s 170 million inhabitants, have historically aligned with Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party. The party encountered opposition after violent confrontations between anti-quota demonstrators and security personnel in the previous month.
On August 5, following weeks of demonstrations and violent incidents resulting in over 600 fatalities, a student-driven uprising led to the removal of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. The 76-year-old Hasina sought refuge in India on August 5, and subsequently, an interim administration headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took control.