India Flags Minority Attacks In Bangladesh, Watches Rahman’s Return

New Delhi/Dhaka: India continues to watch the developments closely as the political atmosphere in Bangladesh gets charged up following the return of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman to Dhaka after 17 years of self-exile. New Delhi said India expects the polls to be free, fair and inclusive. India has also underlined that atrocities on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh is worrisome and cannot be brushed aside as media exaggeration or dismissed as political violence by the country’s dispensation. Protests continued in Kolkata near the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission (DHC) on Friday and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari even met the DHC in this regard.

In Dhaka, leaders and activists of Inquilab Moncho protested demanding justice for the killing of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, convener of the organisation whose death led to a wave of violence against Hindus, media houses etc. Inquilab Moncho member secretary Abdullah Al Jaber said they would remain on the streets until justice is delivered.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said with 2900 incidents of violence on minorities under Muhammad Yunus' interim government since July 2024, the situation is worrisome and it expects action against the perpetrators. "The unremitting hostilities against the minorities in Bangladesh including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists is a matter of grave concern. We condemn the recent killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh and expect that the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

BNP is a strong contender to form the government with Rahman as the possible Prime Minister of Bangladesh in February elections and his return has galvanised the BNP cadre. On Friday Rahman visited the grave of his father, Bangladesh's former president Zia-ur- Rahman in Dhaka, offering 'dua' and 'munajat' for the eternal peace of his father's soul. This is the first time in almost 19 years that Rahman has paid tribute at his father's grave. The last time he did so was on September 1, 2006, when he was serving as BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General, marking the party's founding anniversary. Rahman stood before the grave with visible emotion and offered fateha. He was seen wiping tears with a handkerchief, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

In his first address to the nation upon return on Thursday Rahman had urged his countrymen to shun violence even as a fresh case of violence against a Hindu was reported on Thursday. On Friday, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed hope that Bangladesh will transform into a truly democratic state under the leadership of Tarique Rahman.

In Kolkata, protest marches took place condemning attack on Hindus in Bangladesh. Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari met senior officials of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission and demanded an end to alleged atrocities on minorities in the neighbouring country. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Adhikari claimed that the Deputy High Commission officials had avoided meeting him since Monday and agreed to the interaction only after he warned of staging a large protest outside the office. Adhikari added he also raised the issue of continued detention of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das adding that he had remained in jail without justification.

Meanwhile, in Siliguri, an association of hoteliers has decided to temporarily stop providing accommodation to Bangladeshis. According to a recent notice issued by the Greater Siliguri Hoteliers Welfare Association, the decision was linked to incidents that have strained India-Bangladesh relations, including alleged disrespect towards the Indian flag and provocative statements by a section of Bangladeshi citizens. The hoteliers' organisation said the move was aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of guests and hotel staff in the current sensitive climate.