A group of prominent Indian Muslims, in an open letter to Muhammad Yunus, has strongly condemned the mistreatment of the minorities and urged the Bangladesh authorities to take immediate and corrective actions.
Groundxero | Dec. 5, 2024
The “harsh treatment and victimisation” of religious minorities in Bangladesh is appalling and of immense concern, said a group of prominent Indian Muslim citizens in an open letter to chief advisor of the Bangladesh’s Interim Government, Muhammad Yunus.
The group, under the banner of Citizens for Fraternity, expressed hope that the Bangladeshi authorities would ensure the safety of all minorities, particularly Hindus, and take swift action to restore communal harmony.
The letter has been signed by former Delhi Lieutenant General Najeeb Jung, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Zameer Uddin Shah, former MP Shahid Siddiqui and industrialist Saeed Mustafa Shervani.
“As Muslims we are dismayed and disappointed at such un-Islamic behaviour, patently against the tenets of Islam and the path shown by the Prophet. We truly hope the government of Bangladesh comes down heavily on all communal elements and ensures full security to its Hindu population as well as other minorities,” the group said in its letter dated 4th December.
The letter was in response to reported violence on minority Hindu community in Bangladesh after a lawyer was killed outside a court in Chittagong where supporters of a Hindu monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das, has gathered to protest his arrest on charges of sedition on November 25. Chinmoy Das is the leader of Sammilito Sanatani Jagaron Jote, an organisation in Bangladesh that advocates for the rights of Hindus. He was arrested at Dhaka airport for allegedly insulting Bangladesh’s national flag during a rally in Chittagong on October 25. Chinmoy Das was formerly associated with the West Bengal-based International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON.
The bail hearing for Chinmoy Krishna, which was scheduled to be held on Tuesday, has been postponed to January 2 as there was no lawyer to represent him, citing safety concerns. Ramen Roy, who was defending Chinmoy Krishna Das, was allegedly attacked a day before the bail hearing by a group of Islamists at his home. “Most distressing is the development that no lawyer is prepared to defend the aggrieved in fear of reprisals from their co-religionists,” the open letter said. If the present Bangladesh government does not curb this deplorable development it would reflect tacit support, added the letter.
“We strongly urge the government to uphold justice, human rights, and democratic values,” the letter concluded. The Bangladesh government had claimed that reports of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh has been highly exaggerated by Indian media, and has assured protection, safety and security of Hindus and all religious minorities in the country.