NEW DELHI, Aug 16 : BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj and JNU VC Santishree D Pandit were part of a march held here on Friday to protest against alleged atrocities committed against minorities in Bangladesh.
Hundreds of women took part in the march organised by the RSS-linked Nari Shakti Forum. The march began from Mandi House and ended at Jantar Mantar. Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma was also part of the march.
Carrying religious flags and placards, the protesters demanded that violence against minorities in Bangladesh be stopped. Most of the protesters tied black bands on their arms while some covered their mouths with such bands.
Bangladesh saw a spike in violence against members of the Hindu community after the fall of the government led by Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as prime minister and fled to India on August 5 following massive protests against her regime over a controversial job-quota system.
“One reason for coming here is the fight for human rights. Human rights cannot only be for selective groups. Human rights are for everyone. Not just Hindus, but Buddhists, Christians, Dalits are being attacked in Bangladesh. No one is there to speak up for them,” Pandit, the vice-chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), said.
She said she took part in the march to extend her support to an event organised by women.
Nari Shakti Forum member Shreyosi Sinha Basu said Hindus and Buddhists are being targeted in the neighbouring country.
Basu, who hails from Kolkata, said some of her ancestors came to India following the Noakhali riots. A few of them came in 1971 while some are still in Bangladesh.
“I have been in constant touch with several people in Bangladesh. The condition of the minorities there is very bad. The visa office is closed and the embassy has been shut down indefinitely,” she claimed.
Basu claimed that even though the Muhammad Yunus government is saying publicly that minorities will be protected, it is far from the truth. “Especially, Hindus and Buddhists are being targeted there,” she said.
Dimple, who came to Delhi on a bicycle from Rajasthan’s Udaipur, said, “The condition of Hindus and women in Bangladesh is not acceptable. Hindus are being attacked in our neighbouring country. This was a silent march, but I think that the time has come to speak up.”
Neha Mishra, an assistant professor in the Delhi University, said, “We are not talking about Hindus only. This is a matter of human rights violation. The world should not see this as a matter of atrocities against particular religions.”
A large number of men also took part in the march.
Surender Rana, a resident of Burari and a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said the attacks on Hindus and their temples have to be stopped.
“Whatever happened to the government in Bangladesh is a different thing, but targeting Hindus, burning down their houses and vandalising their temples are painful incidents. These have to be stopped and the current government should make sure that not only Hindus, but all the minorities are safe in Bangladesh,” he said.
The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance, a non-political Hindu religious organisation, has claimed that the minority community has faced attacks and threats at 278 locations in 48 districts since August 5. This was an “assault” on the Hindu religion, the Bangladesh-based organisation has said.
The Nari Shakti Forum has written a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, appealing to her to intervene to protect Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh.
Thousands of women, along with other concerned citizens, including academicians, legal experts, diplomats, civil servants and people from all walks of life, participated in the silent march in solidarity with the Hindus and other minorities of Bangladesh, the letter to Murmu read.
The forum highlighted key concerns of targeted violence and destruction, brutal physical assaults and loss of lives, sexual violence and intimidation, and forced migration and displacement in the letter.
Traffic was disrupted in the Lutyens’ area due to the march. Traffic personnel were spotted managing vehicular movement at Janpath Road near Connaught Place, Barakhamba Road and Kasturba Gandhi Marg.
Feroz Shah Road was closed for a while. A traffic snarl was also seen at the stretch between Barakhamba Road and Mandi House due to the march. The Nirman Bhawan area also saw heavy traffic. (PTI)
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