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

October 20, 2021 Ebangla Bureau

https://www.ebangla.in/un-us-call-for-ending-
violence-against-bdesh-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