Two prominent Indian-American lawmakers have sought the US’ direct intervention to stop the “coordinated attacks” against minority Hindus in Bangladesh, underlining that instability in the region, “fuelled by religious intolerance and violence”, is not in the interest of America or its allies.
Members of minority communities in Bangladesh faced at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, according to two Hindu organisations — Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad — in the violence-hit nation.
Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus have been trying to flee to neighbouring India to escape the violence.
In a letter dated August 9 to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Congressman Shri Thanedar said he is not alone in his stance against the atrocities being committed against Hindus in Bangladesh. Many in the international community, including some from his own district, have condemned the violent actions being committed against minority groups in Bangladesh.
“With Muhammad Yunus stepping up as the interim Prime Minister for Bangladesh, the United States has an obligation to assist this new government, to ensure that violence and civil unrest comes to an end. I urge the Biden administration to grant persecuted Bangladesh Hindus and other religious minorities temporary protected status as refugees,” the Congressman from Michigan wrote to Blinken.
Mr Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel laureate, was sworn in on Thursday as the head of an interim government in Bangladesh.
A number of Hindu temples, households and businesses were vandalised, women assaulted and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with the Awami League party headed by Hasina were killed in the violence in Bangladesh after she fled the country, according to community leaders in Dhaka.
Mr Thanedar urged Mr Blinken to work closely with Yunus and his government to bring “an end to the coordinated attacks against the Bangladesh Hindus”.
He underlined that Mr Yunus has called for an end to the violence and welcomed his willingness to rebuild the country.
“This is a critical time for Bangladesh, and we must do everything we can to support them in their efforts to bring an end to the violent actions and rhetoric being targeted towards Hindus in the country,” said the Indian-American lawmaker.
In a letter dated August 8 to Mr Blinken, a copy of which was released to the press on Friday, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said credible eyewitness reports of the anti-Hindu attacks in various media reports demonstrate the scale of the attacks.
“I am writing to you regarding the fluid situation in Bangladesh and the rise of coordinated anti-Hindu violence in the wake of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. Now that Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as Chief Adviser for the interim government, it is of utmost urgency that the United States engage with his government for both bringing the violence to an end and the perpetrators to justice,” Mr Krishnamoorthi wrote.
“Sadly, this is not the first time that anti-government protests in Bangladesh have metastasised into anti-Hindu violence. The anti-Hindu riots in October 2021 left nine people dead amidst the destruction of hundreds of homes, businesses and temples…In 2017, more than 107 Hindus were killed and 37 ‘disappeared’…following the International Crimes Tribunal conviction of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Sayeedi for war crimes,” he said.
Mr Krishnamoorthi underlined that instability in the region, “fuelled by religious intolerance and violence, is clearly not in the interest of the United States or our allies”.
He urged Mr Blinken to engage “directly” with the interim government and exert US influence to help his administration end the violence and “bring those responsible to justice”.
Mr Thanedar in his letter noted that political violence in Bangladesh is not a new phenomenon and that the country has experienced many coups and leadership changes since its inception in 1971.
Targeting of its Hindu population is also not new. Hindus only make up eight per cent of Bangladesh’s population, exposing this minority to risk of discrimination and violence, the Congressman said.
