Congress leader Rashid Alvi has condemned the violence against the Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and said that the Bangladesh government is responsible for it. However, a statement from the Indian government will not make any difference, he added, alleging that the minority communities in India are facing atrocities as well.
“What is happening in Bangladesh is certainly condemnable and unfortunate. The Bangladesh government is responsible for it. However, statements from the Indian government will not make a difference. In India too, atrocities are being committed against minority communities,” the former Rajya Sabha MP said.
However, party colleague Salman Khurshid refused to get into a comparison. Speaking to NDTV, he said, “Atrocities are not to be compared. Wherever there is an atrocity against anybody, it is unacceptable. We believe in the constitution of democracy; atrocities against anybody are unacceptable,” he said.
Another party leader, Alka Lamba, asserted that minorities must get protection, be it in Bangladesh or India. “Whatever has happened in this in Bangladesh, we have criticised it. (Be it) Bangladesh or India, it is the duty to protect minorities,” Lamba added.
The Congress leaders’ remarks come at a time when Bangladesh is witnessing incidents of targeted violence against the Hindu minorities amid a fresh wave of violence ahead of the February general elections.
Earlier this month, Dipu Chandra Das, a 29-year-old garment factory worker, was lynched by an Islamist mob, tied to a tree, and set on fire in Mymensingh, about 100 km from Dhaka, in a barbaric display of violence against minorities. At least 12 people have been arrested in connection with the December 18 lynching.
In another incident last week, a Hindu man identified as Amrit Mondal was beaten to death by the locals over allegations of extortion in Pangsha upazila, about 145 km west of Dhaka. An arrest has been made in this case as well.
The Indian government has called attacks on the Hindu minorities in the neighbouring country “worrisome”, stating that such incidents cannot be brushed aside. “The unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists, at the hands of extremists is a matter of grave concern,” India’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
Show full article
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
Bangladesh Minorities, Dipu Chandra Das Lynching, Congress News
