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India Urges Bangladesh to Ensure Safety of Hindus

© AP Photo / Eugene HoshikoIndian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar delivers a speech at commemorative lecture of "Nikkei Forum" Friday, March 8, 2024, in Tokyo.
Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar delivers a speech at commemorative lecture of Nikkei Forum Friday, March 8, 2024, in Tokyo. - Sputnik India, 1920, 29.11.2024
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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has called on the interim Bangladeshi government to "live up to its responsibility" of protecting minorities, amid growing concerns in India over violence against Hindus in the neighbouring country.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said on Friday that the primary responsibility for "protection of life and liberty" of all citizens in Bangladesh, including minorities, rested with the government.
Replying to a parliamentary question during the ongoing Winter Session, Jaishankar emphasised that New Delhi had taken a "serious note" of violence against Hindus and other minorities and targeted attacks on minority homes, businesses and temples in Bangladesh.
The top Indian diplomat told the Parliament that New Delhi has shared its concerns with the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus.
"The High Commission of India in Dhaka continues to monitor the situation related to the minorities in Bangladesh closely," Jaishankar stated.
The EAM also referred to attacks on temples and stalls as well as the theft of a golden crown from the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple during the Durga Puja festivities last month, noting that New Delhi had also expressed its concerns over these incidents. The golden crown was gifted by India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka in 2021.
"Following these attacks, the Government of Bangladesh had issued instructions for providing special security including deployment of Army and Border Guards Bangladesh to ensure peaceful celebrations of Durga Puja," said Jaishankar.
Meanwhile, addressing the weekly briefing on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters that New Delhi had been "consistently and strongly" raising the targeted attacks and violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh.
"We are concerned about the surge of extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence and provocation... These developments cannot be dismissed merely as media exaggerations. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take steps for the protection of minorities," Jaiswal remarked.
The MEA spokesperson also said that the matters pertaining to safety of minorities and safeguarding their interests had been raised from time to time with the Yunus administration.
Commenting on the arrest and denial of bail to Hindu monk Chinmoy Das, the spokesperson of Bangladesh Sanmilito Sanatan Jagran Jote, the MEA expressed hope that the case would be dealt with in a fair manner.
"These legal processes are underway. We hope and expect that these processes will be dealt with in a fair, just and transparent manner ensuring full respect of the legal rights of these individuals and all those who are concerned..." Jaiswal said.
He referred to India's earlier statement on his arrest, wherein the MEA had expressed "deep concern" over the matter. A statement by Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) expressed "utter dismay and a deep sense of hurt" over the Indian statement. Reports suggest that the Hindu monk has been arrested for disrespecting the Bangladeshi flag.
Amid reports of Bangladesh mulling a ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), MEA stated that it saw the group as a "globally well-regarded organisation with a strong record of social service".
The MEA spokesperson also highlighted that two-way trade between the two countries was operational.
"The supply of commodities from India to Bangladesh continues. And likewise, the trade between Bangladesh and India continues in both directions," Jaiswal said.
Lawyers shout slogans during a protest over the killing of a colleague in a daylong violence yesterday over the arrest of a prominent minority Hindu leader, in Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. - Sputnik India, 1920, 28.11.2024
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