AGARTALA: A large number Hindu saints and ISKON members held a rally in Agartala protesting against the alleged attack on Hindus and temples in Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday.
They raised a human chain demanding intervention of India government against the atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh and ensure their protection.
“It has become a tradition in Bangladesh that in any case of turmoil Hindus are being targeted. Temples are vandalized and houses of Hindus across Bangladesh are being attacked alleging their sympathy for India,” a protestor Pallab Das pointed out.
He stated more than a hundred of temples and thousands of Hindu houses were ransacked and set on fire besides perpetrating physical attacks.
“We have been getting distress calls from our fellows in Bangladesh, disturbing photographs and videos are flooding social media, which is just samples of barbaric nuisance,” he underlined.
“Since the reference of all atrocities are sympathy towards India, our government should act to protect the fellow citizens in Bangladesh and take up the international forum to ensure their security of life and property,” Das added.
According to report, thousands of minority Hindus in Bangladesh, fearing for their lives, have been flocking to the country’s borders in hopes of seeking refuge in Tripura.
The situation has become particularly dire in the Sarail Upazila of Brahmanbaria, bordering village of Comilla, Feni and Noakhali districts where large groups of desperate families have reportedly approached the border with Tripura, only to be met with strong resistance from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
Eyewitnesses report that as the frightened families reached the border, they were forcefully turned back by BGB personnel wielding batons.
The border forces not only prevented them from crossing but also resorted to harsh measures to disperse the crowd. The Bangladeshi Hindus, feeling increasingly vulnerable in their homeland, had hoped for asylum in India, but their pleas for safety were met with violence and rejection.
Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF) on the Indian side appeared powerless to intervene. The BSF as watching helplessly while the BGB drove away the refugees, unable to offer any assistance.
The sight of families, including women and children, being pushed back by force has sparked outrage and concern among human rights activists.
Reports indicated similar incidents occurring across multiple border points between Bangladesh and India, where minority communities, primarily Hindus, have been seeking refuge amidst growing concerns for their safety.
CM reacts
Tripura chief minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday said, “We stepped up security along Bangladesh border and shall not allow anybody from Bangladesh.”
Besides state police and BSF, the state government has been in coordination with all other security agencies and close eyes on development of Bangladesh, Dr Saha stated.
“I have been in touch with central government; DGP has been directed to monitor the situation and foil any intrusion attempt in the state,” Dr Saha added.
