JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Congress held a protest here on Wednesday against alleged violence on minorities in Bangladesh.
Party leaders urged the Indian government to take immediate and decisive steps to stop the violence.
Led by the Jammu and Kashmir Congress working president Raman Bhalla, party workers took out a rally in Jammu carrying placards demanding an end to the atrocities. The protesters raised slogans against the Bangladesh government and the BJP-led Centre.
“Minority Hindus are facing continuous attacks, and the Indian government must ensure their protection,” Bhalla told reporters.
He criticised the Centre for its silence on the issue, alleging the Modi government “failed to react to the violence”.
Senior leader Taranjit Singh Tony called on the government to open India’s borders to Bangladeshi Hindus fleeing terror.
“We want the government to take strong steps to ensure the safety and protection of Hindus living under terror,” he said.
He questioned why the government remained silent on the plight of Hindus while “allowing” other groups to reside in the country over the last decade.
“For the past 11 years, you allowed Bangladeshis and Rohingyas to live in India, so why are you silent about our Hindu brethren in Bangladesh? Please bring them here,” he said.
Tony also demanded the deportation of Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in India.
Congress leaders described the targeted violence as a grave violation of human rights.
They said such violence is “unacceptable in any civilised society” and that silence on such issues “amounts to complicity”.
The party leaders also urged the central government to apply diplomatic pressure on Dhaka to ensure the safety of the Hindu community.
The party warned that it will raise the issue more forcefully at national and international forums if the situation does not improve.
On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old Hindu garment factory worker, was lynched by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Baluka in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh. (PTI)
