Pan-India protests condemn alleged atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh

New Delhi/Jammu/Ahmedabad: Members of various Hindu organisations and civil society groups on Tuesday staged protests across India against attacks on community members in Bangladesh.

While hundreds of people from various outfits, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), held a protest march at Delhi's Chanakyapuri, a similar rally was taken out in Lucknow condemning the attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country.

At Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, protesters marched to the deputy commissioner's office to show solidarity with the Hindus in Bangladesh, while in Jammu, a large number of protesters took to the streets demanding the intervention of the Centre and the United Nations in the matter.

Similar protests, which coincided with world Human Rights Day, were also staged in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Ranchi, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata, among other places.

In Delhi, security was stepped up outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Chankyapuri where a large number protesters gathered to raise the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh.

Demanding the intervention of United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the matter, the protesters carrying placards called upon Bangladesh to stop the alleged "genocide" of Hindus in the country.

Several personalities, including Sadhvi Ritambhara, Keshav Murari from ISKCON, former Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava, ex-Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri, and Buddhist spiritual leader Rahul Bhante, among others, addressed the rally.

A memorandum was also submitted to the Bangladesh High Commissioner by the members of Civil Society of Delhi, emphasising the historically strong and cordial relations between India and Bangladesh, a statement said.

In Lucknow, the Bangladesh Hindu Raksha Sangharsh Samiti took out a public outrage rally from Lucknow University to Hazratganj Square in which members of dozens of Hindu organisations took part.

The protesters also submitted a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu to District Magistrate Suryapal Gangwar.

Speaking on the occasion, RSS' Akhil Bharatiya Sampark Pramukh Ramlal warned Bangladesh to immediately stop the atrocities on Hindus or face serious consequences.

"We also demand immediate release of ISKCON monk Chinmay Krishna Das," Ramlal said, adding that the government of India should intervene so that the safety of Hindus can be ensured in Bangladesh.

In Jammu, a rally organised by Deshbhakt Sarva Samaj saw the participation of hundreds of people from various walks of life, including members of Hindu outfits like Sanatan Dharma Sabha, Vishva Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Sant Samaj, among others.

The protesters strongly condemned the alleged attacks on Hindus and other minority communities in Bangladesh, urging the community to stand united in defence of their religion and culture.  They also called on the Central government to exert diplomatic pressure on Bangladesh to protect its minority communities.

In another protest, hundreds of demonstrators marched peacefully to Dogra Chowk raising slogans against Bangladesh.

Appealing to the United Nations to take urgent notice of the matter, the protesters submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India through the divisional commissioner.  A large number of protesters also took to the streets in Dharamsala showing solidarity with the Hindus in Bangladesh. A delegation of protesters later submitted a memorandum to the Kangra district commissioner at his office where the rally concluded.

Meanwhile, concerned about the reports of increasing violence against Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh, a delegation of intellectuals submitted a memorandum to Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagade in Jaipur on Tuesday.

The memorandum addressed to the UN Secretary-General and the President of India sought their immediate intervention to safeguard human rights, prevent targeted violence, and deploy UN peacekeepers in Bangladesh.

The delegation led by retired Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice NK Jain accused the Bangladesh government of turning a blind eye to the violence, and supporting radical elements.

The memorandum also claimed that Hindus in Bangladesh are being coerced into religious conversions, and those resisting are facing severe persecution.

Military veterans, academics and former government officials presented the memorandum on behalf of 40 intellectuals from various fields.

In Ahmedabad, hundreds of citizens formed more than a kilometre-long human chain along the Sabarmati riverfront denouncing the alleged attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

People from different walks of life, including religious leaders and Hindu seers, formed the human chain in response to a call given by the Hindu Heet Raksha Samiti, a release issued by the Vishwa Samvad Kendra of the RSS said.

RSS' Gujarat Prant chief Bharat Patel said, "Just like human rights, people have the right to defend themselves. We want to give a message to the Hindus in Bangladesh that Indians are with them. This will help them fight the atrocities on them." In Guwahati, a protest was staged in front of the office of the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh under the banner of Lok Jagaran Manch, during which the protesters submitted a memorandum to the interim government of the neighbouring country.

The memorandum demanded the Bangladesh government to ensure the rights of Hindus and other minorities to live with dignity and peace, free from arbitrary interference by the government or Islamic extremists.

Similar protests were also held in Ranchi and Bhubaneswar, where a large number of protesters expressed solidarity with the members of the minority communities in Bangladesh.

Hindus constitute about 8 per cent of Bangladesh's 170 million population.