Amid rising incidents of hate crimes against the Muslims in India and the Narendra Modi government's biased policies towards minorities, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned New Delhi that these incidents could affect the Hindu community in her country.
With 12.7 million in numbers, Hindus are the second largest population after Muslims (135 million) in Bangladesh, which is the third-largest Hindu populated country of the world, just after India and Nepal.
Rumors on social media about the alleged desecration of a Quran in Cumilla (Bangladesh) on Wednesday sparked tensions and communal violence. 41 people were arrested following violence that reportedly left up to four dead and at least 60 injured.
In a virtual interaction with members of the Hindu community to mark Durga Puja, Sheikh Hasina vowed to hunt down those who vandalized some Hindu temples during Durga Puja celebrations.
Hasina warned, "Nobody will be spared. It doesn't matter which religion they belong to. They will be hunted down and punished."
However, Hasina also used the occasion to urge India to remain vigilant against the escalation of any communal violence. "We expect that nothing happens there (in India), which could influence any situation in Bangladesh affecting our Hindu community here," Hasina said.
The Telegraph quoted Hasina as saying, "You all know that those who came to power in our country after 1975 used religion to divide people" The rise of global terrorism also has had its impact on our country. Countering this is not only our responsibility, and neighboring countries like India should also remain vigilant... India did help us in the liberation war (of 1971) and we will remain ever grateful for the support... But they (India) have to be aware that such incidents should not take place there which would have an impact on Bangladesh, and the Hindus in our country face attacks."
Anti-Modi demonstrations in Bangladesh
Tellingly, in March 2021, at least 12 people were killed in demonstrations against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Bangladesh to attend 50th independence day of Bangladesh. Modi arrived in Dhaka for a two-day visit on March 26 and left the next day but anti-Modi demonstrations continued for several days after his departure.
A group of Muslim worshippers held a protest on March 26 after Friday prayers at a mosque in Dhaka city. Soon, clashes erupted and police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd.
Protests then spread to other parts of the country as Hefazat-e-Islam, called for a nationwide shut-down on March 28 to protest the attacks on those who held rallies against Modi's visit. Thousands of protesters marched down streets across Bangladesh.
Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)
The anti-Modi demonstrations came amid reports of growing concern in Bangladesh over controversial measures by the extreme rightist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Modi such as the passage of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The CAA provide a pathway to Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians. The law does not grant such eligibility to Muslims from these Muslim countries. Rohingya Muslims fleeing from Myanmar, for instance, will not be given citizenship under the new law. The act was the first time that religion had been overtly used as a criterion for citizenship under the Indian law, which attracted global criticism.
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