Bangladesh interim govt has absolute obligation to protect its Hindu minority: US Congressman

Washington: An influential US lawmaker on Tuesday said the interim Bangladeshi government has an absolute obligation to protect the minority Hindu community in the country after the fall of the democratically-elected Sheikh Hasina-led government earlier this year.

Over the weekend, Hindus from Bangladesh organised a rally at the White house demanding release of Chinmaya Das and protection for Hindus of Bangladesh.

“Bangladesh’s interim government has an absolute obligation to protect its Hindu minority and meaningfully address the protests of thousands of minority Hindus in outcry over the recent wave of attacks and harassment,” Congressman Brad Sherman said in a statement.

“With the calls for an investigation from the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk for killings and other rights violations during the violent unrest leading up to and after the fall of Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the current administration must demonstrate leadership in eliminating acts of violence against the Hindu community,” Sherman said.

Utsav Chakrabarti, executive director of HinduACTion called on the outgoing Biden-Harris administration to take all possible measures to prevent further escalation of violence by radical Islamists against the Hindus in Bangladesh.

“Based on the feedback we are getting from #Bangladesh, Hindu monk and civil rights defender Chinmoy Krishna Brahmachari, who has been incarcerated by the interim government, faces a serious threat to his life, in custody,” he said.