US Congressman Urges Bangladesh to Safeguard Hindu Minority Rights
On Tuesday, US Congressman Brad Sherman released a statement urging Bangladesh's interim government to safeguard its Hindu minority and respond to the ongoing protests by Hindus and other minority communities regarding recent attacks and harassment.
Sherman requested an inquiry from the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, into the killings and other abuses that occurred during the turmoil following the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The legislator called on the present government to address the violence against the Hindu community and show leadership in safeguarding their security.
The interim government of Bangladesh has a complete responsibility to safeguard its Hindu minority and effectively respond to the protests of thousands of Hindus who are demonstrating against the recent surge of attacks and harassment.
Amid demands for an inquiry from BangladeshHindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, for killings and other rights violations.
The statement emphasized that amid the violent turmoil surrounding the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, the present government needs to show leadership in eradicating violence against the Hindu community.
The situation in Bangladesh has been marked by increasing violence against minority communities after the arrest of a spiritual leader,
Chinmoy Krishna Das, over sedition charges and for allegedly hoisting a saffron flag above Bangladesh's national flag in Chittagong on October 25.
The arrest followed a complaint filed on October 31 by a local politician that accused Chinmoy Das and others of disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag during a rally of the Hindu community.
In the meantime, a Bangladesh court has scheduled the next hearing for Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Das on January 2, 2025, and declared that he will stay in jail on alleged sedition charges until that date.
According to The Daily Star Bangladesh, the Chattogram court has postponed the hearing on Chinmoy Krishna Das's bail petition to January 2.
Chattogram Metropolitan Session Judge Saiful Islam rescheduled the hearing because the defense lawyer did not appear in court.
Mofizur Rahman, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, later verified this information to the Bangladeshi media.