US in touch with India on Bangladesh: State Dept official

Washington: The United States is in touch with India and other countries in the region regarding the situation in Bangladesh and is seeking an end to the violence there, a State Department official has said here.

"I'm not going to get into private diplomatic discussions but we continue to push for an end to violence in Bangladesh, accountability and for the respect for rule of law," US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at his daily news conference on Wednesday.

He was responding to a question regarding the communication between India and the US on the situation in Bangladesh following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government.

"We have been in touch with our Indian partners as well as other countries in the region to discuss recent events in Bangladesh," Patel said.

He also welcomed Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' statement, calling for calm and an end to the recent violence. "We welcome the new government's focus on restoring security and protection of members of minority communities as well," Patel said.

Meanwhile, the Hindu American Foundation on Wednesday urged the White House to act to protect the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.

"Latest reports are that the President (Joe Biden) is not commenting on the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus despite continuing reports of attacks," the foundation said.

"Demand Action Now! The silence from President, Vice President and Secretary Blinken on the atrocities against #BangladeshiHindus is unacceptable. Lives lost, homes & temples destroyed—yet no condemnation from our US government," it said in a post on X.

Washington-based NGO HinduACTion claimed that Hindus in rural areas of Bangladesh are being targeted the most.

"Their remoteness allows the Islamists more freedom and time to target them. Now that Mohammad Yunus is the new caretaker leaders, should the Vice President and the State Department work towards enabling grassroots education and awareness that ensures that the country's Madrassa curriculum and the public discourse is purged of its anti-Hindu theological content.

"We hope the president and his advisors realize that if Bangladesh loses the last eight per cent of its Hindus, it will be a Taliban state with a lot of tree canopy cover," it said on X.