Indian-American congressmen call for immediate end to violence against Hindus in Bangladesh

New York/Washington: Two prominent Indian-American lawmakers have called for an immediate end to the ongoing brutal violence against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.

The Congressmen have also urged the prime minister-designate of the interim government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, to uphold the rule of law as he takes over the reins of the interim government.

The remarks by two influential Congressmen come a day after scores of Hindu American groups met State Department officials amidst the spike in crime against the minority Hindu community and the destruction of Hindu temples in Bangladesh.

They also said the failure of Congress and the administration to acknowledge and condemn the violence against Hindus and other religious minorities is unacceptable.

Several Hindu temples, households and businesses have been vandalised and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with Hasina’s Awami League party were killed in the violence since Monday when Hasina resigned and fled to India.

“Bangladeshi students had just human rights concerns against PM Hasina. It's good she is gone. But the violence now targeting Hindus is wrong. PM Yunus must uphold the rule of law & prevent the targeting of temples or people of any political party or faith from violence,” Ro Khanna, Congressman said in a post on X on Thursday.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said, “As Bangladesh prepares to swear in its interim government, I urge all government officials, the new administration and police chief, and the people of Bangladesh to do all they can to end the violence that has emerged across the country, including the brutal targeting of the country’s Hindu minority, their homes, businesses, and their temples.”

“The violence must stop and those responsible must be brought to justice to help the people of Bangladesh move forward as a nation. I will continue to closely monitor developments in Bangladesh in coordination with the US State Department,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Hindu American Foundation director of Policy Research Anita Joshi, Utsav Chakrabarti of HinduAction, Human Rights Collective for Bangladesh Minorities Executive Director Priya Saha, and geopolitical analyst Jay Kansara met with the US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom (IRF) Rashad Hussein at the US State Department in Washington, DC.

Urging US government action, the group briefed Hussein on the violence directed at Hindus and other religious minorities throughout Bangladesh, sharing documented incidents against Hindus and Hindu temples over 48 hours after Hasina left the country amidst civil unrest.

“The failure of Congress and this administration to acknowledge and condemn the violence against Hindus and other religious minorities is unacceptable,” Joshi said.

“The situation on the ground in Bangladesh is urgent and dire. We implore the State Department to use its clout and resources to put an end to this rampant violence against religious minorities, violence rooted in decades of mistrust and maltreatment of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority,” she said.

In a separate statement, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) urged the US President, State Department, IRF Ambassador, and presidential candidates to take immediate action to ensure peace is re-established in Bangladesh and that “minorities are protected, preventing another potential Hindu Genocide.” FIIDS also urged the United Nations to deploy observers and peacekeeping forces to contain the situation on the ground in Bangladesh and ensure the protection of vulnerable communities.

It made similar appeals to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Since Hasina fled the country on Monday, media reports from Bangladesh have flagged more and more cases of violence against minorities, including the massive vandalism and destruction at popular folk band Joler Gaan’s frontman Rahul Ananda's residence on Monday prompting the singer and his family to go into hiding.

However, it is not just Hindus that are targeted. At least 232 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government on Monday, taking the death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests first started in mid-July.

Meanwhile, soon after he arrived in Dhaka from Paris, Yunus on Thursday promised to deliver a government which assures safety to its citizens. He is to take oath later in the evening.

Earlier on Tuesday, the US expressed deep concern about the continued violence in Bangladesh including attacks on members of religious or political groups, and said it will be vital for the new government to credibly investigate all such instances and provide justice to victims.

"We are deeply concerned about continued reports of violence in Bangladesh – including violence directed at members of religious or political groups. We are equally concerned about reports of violence against police and law enforcement," a State Department spokesperson told PTI on Tuesday.