Meerut: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday, January 11, held a protest in Meerut against the alleged atrocities on the Hindu community in Bangladesh and submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, questioning the Central Government’s foreign policy.
In the protest, AAP workers raised the issues of attacks on temples in Bangladesh, killings of Hindus, violence against women and children, and alleged forced migration.
The party leaders alleged that despite these incidents, the central government is not taking any concrete diplomatic steps.
Somendra Dhaka, the party’s West Uttar Pradesh president, said that the Hindu minorities are being targeted in Bangladesh, and the Centre’s silence is making the situation even more serious.
He said that this is not just a failure of foreign policy, but a serious human rights issue.
In the memorandum (submitted to the President), handed over to the Additional District Magistrate (City), AAP demanded the suspension of trade and diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh until the safety of Hindu minorities is ensured.
They also demanded the reconsideration of the supply of electricity and diesel, and that the issue be raised in international fora.
India on Friday pressed Bangladesh to “swiftly and firmly” deal with attacks on minorities in their country and described as “troubling” the attempts to attribute the incidents to extraneous reasons.
New Delhi’s reaction came against the backdrop of the killing of several Hindu men in Bangladesh in the last few weeks.
There have been a series of attacks on minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh after the killing of radical youth leader Sharan Osman Hadi in December.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) recorded 51 incidents of communal violence last month alone, including 10 murders, 10 cases of theft and robbery and 23 incidents involving the occupation of homes, business establishments, temples, looting and arson.
In addition, four more Hindu persons have been killed in January so far, taking the total number of casualties to 14 since December, it said.
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