Protest in Guwahati against Hindu persecution in Bangladesh

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 10, 2024

The Lok Jagaran Manch, Assam organized a protest in Guwahati to highlight the ongoing persecution faced by Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh on Tuesday coinciding with International Human Rights Day.

Gathering near the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh’s office, over a hundred participants united to show solidarity with those affected and to demand urgent intervention from the Bangladeshi authorities.

The event featured impassioned speeches, a march through the streets, and the submission of a memorandum directed to Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government. This document condemned the atrocities committed by both Islamic extremists and the government, detailing the alarming rise in violence, including attacks, killings, and the exploitation of women.

The protest commenced at the Navagraha Kali Mandir, where speakers emphasized the dire circumstances of religious minorities, with advocate Bijon Mahajan calling for protective measures.

Notable figures, including intellectual Diganta Biswas Sarma and social activist Kailash Sharma, criticized the failures of both Bangladesh and Pakistan in safeguarding their religious minorities and demanded accountability, including the revocation of Yunus’s Nobel Peace Prize.

The protest culminated in a sit-in outside the Assistant High Commission, where a delegation presented the memorandum, which urged the government to uphold the rights of Hindus and other minorities, denouncing the silence and inaction regarding the alarming human rights violations.

The document also addressed the unjust arrest of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das and the troubling trend of forced dismissals of Hindu employees, calling for immediate action to protect minority rights and ensure human dignity in Bangladesh. The protesters appealed for ongoing support from civil society and international organizations to hold the Bangladeshi government accountable for these pressing issues.