"Many people have come into India through West Bengal", says Odisha Law Minister :: Mega protest outside White House in Washington against Hindus in Bangladesh

Hindus staged noisy protest in Bangladesh,

Thousands of people participated in protests on Sunday calling for an end to violence against Hindu communities, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Protesters objected to the “destruction of homes, encroachment on temple land, arson, looting, and other forms of violence”, the report said.

“We are appalled by the attacks on Hindus, the torture and the vandalism of temples. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure our safety. We are citizens of this country and deserve to live securely,” the Dhaka Tribune quoted a Hindu speaker as saying at a rally in the city of Bogra.

“The attacks on religious minorities in some places have been noted with grave concern,” the interim cabinet said on Sunday in its first official statement since its members were sworn in on Thursday night.

 A large number of people protested outside the White House in Washington on Friday against alleged violence targeting minority Hindus and others in Bangladesh since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation and departure earlier this week.  

The crowd, which included activists from various human rights organizations, members of the Bangladeshi diaspora and Indian-American Hindu allies, came from Washington, Maryland, Virginia, and New York.

Shubho Roy, a Bangladeshi Hindu with family in Bangladesh, expressed anxiety over the situation and called for a permanent solution to ensure the dignity and safety of minorities in Bangladesh. "We need a permanent solution so that Hindus and other minorities can live with dignity in Bangladesh," Roy told ANI.

"We need a permanent solution so that Hindus and other minorities can live with dignity in Bangladesh," Roy said. 

Signs at the protest included messages such as "End Religious Persecution in Bangladesh" and "Protect Minority Rights," with chants demanding justice and international intervention.

On the current situation in Bangladesh, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandran says, "Many people have come into India through West Bengal and some directly through the sea. 

Illegal immigrants residing in Odisha will be identified soon, the government has decided to take care of this matter. They will be verified and if they do not have any identity proof, they will be repatriated to their country of origin. The process will start very soon... There is apprehension that some more people will come into the state. The Indian Coast Guard and Marine Police have been alerted and the CM has taken a review meeting with them...". 

Hindus, who make up about 8% of Bangladesh's population of 170 million, have traditionally supported Hasina's Awami League party, which sparked people's anger after violent clashes between anti-quota protesters and security forces last month., reports usnews.com. 

Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council estimates at least 52 of the country's 64 districts have been impacted by communal violence since Aug. 5 and has sought the help of Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize winning economist who took charge as head of a caretaker administration on Thursday.

"There is deep apprehension, anxiety and uncertainty among minorities across the country," the council said in an open letter on Friday.

The office of the United Nations Secretary General has said the violence in Bangladesh should be "tamped down", adding it stands against any "racially based attacks" or "racially based incitement to violence".

Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus have been trying to flee to neighbouring India to escape the violence.

Observing the recent rise in violence against the Hindus in Bangladesh, American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi urged the Secretary of State Tony Blinken to engage directly with the interim government to end this outbreak of violence, including the targeting of Hindus, and to bring those responsible to justice.

In his letter dated August 8, a copy of which was released to the press on Friday, Krishnamoorthi said credible eyewitness reports of the anti-Hindu attacks in the New York Times, Times of India, BBC, and Reuters among other media outlets, demonstrate the scale of the attacks.

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