Must save minorities in Bangladesh, bring them back: Mamata to Centre

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the Centre must give protection to minorities in violence-hit Bangladesh, and bring back those willing to return.

Banerjee also claimed that fake videos were being purposefully circulated, as certain sections were trying to foment communal tension.

"We want protection for minorities in Bangladesh. The Union government must act. It should also bring back those who want to return to India," she told reporters here.

The CM is on a two-day trip to Digha to review the construction of the Jagannath temple.

Bangladesh's minority Hindus, who constitute about 8 per cent of the 170 million population, have faced attacks in 50-odd districts since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government on August 5.

 

Members of various Hindu organisations and civil society groups on Tuesday staged protests across India against attacks on community members in Bangladesh.

While hundreds of people from various outfits, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), held a protest march at Delhi's Chanakyapuri, a similar rally was taken out in Lucknow condemning the attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country.

People from different walks of life, including religious leaders and Hindu seers, formed the human chain in response to a call given by the Hindu Heet Raksha Samiti, a release issued by the Vishwa Samvad Kendra of the RSS said.

RSS' Gujarat Prant chief Bharat Patel said, "Just like human rights, people have the right to defend themselves. We want to give a message to the Hindus in Bangladesh that Indians are with them. This will help them fight the atrocities on them." In Guwahati, a protest was staged in front of the office of the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh under the banner of Lok Jagaran Manch, during which the protesters submitted a memorandum to the interim government of the neighbouring country.

The memorandum demanded the Bangladesh government to ensure the rights of Hindus and other minorities to live with dignity and peace, free from arbitrary interference by the government or Islamic extremists.

Similar protests were also held in Ranchi and Bhubaneswar, where a large number of protesters expressed solidarity with the members of the minority communities in Bangladesh.

Hindus constitute about 8 per cent of Bangladesh's 170 million population.