Attacks On Hindus In Bangladesh Spark Global Outcry: Protests At UN Headquarters, US Lawmakers Call For Action

A large numbers of people protested at the United headquarters in New York on Friday (9 August), calling for protection of Hindus and other minority groups in Bangladesh.

The Washington-based NGO, HinduACTion, said that individuals from diverse backgrounds gathered spontaneously for the protests, which extended to various locations across New York.

The organisation also commended multiple US lawmakers for their vocal opposition to the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.

In a post on X, Republican Congressman Pat Fallon had said, “I strongly condemn the ongoing political violence and religious persecution that we are witnessing in Bangladesh. I implore the interim government to act in the shared interest of the Bangladeshi people and put an end to this violence at once.”

“The targeting of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and any other religious minority is reprehensible. Those who have instigated and participated in these acts of violence must be held responsible,” he added.

Several other US leaders have raised concern on the violence in Bangladesh.

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on Thursday wrote to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging him to assist the Bangladeshi government in ending the violence against Hindus in the country.

Krishnamoorthi appealed to Blinken to engage with Muhammad Yunus, the leader of Bangladesh’s interim government, with the aim of ending the violence against Hindus and ensuring that perpetrators face justice.

On Friday (9 August), hundreds gathered in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, to protest against the violence targeting the country’s Hindu minority after the resignation and departure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina earlier in the week.

In the aftermath of Hasina’s resignation on Monday, a school teacher was killed and at least 45 others were injured as Hindu homes, businesses, and temples were attacked across Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Protesters, some bearing posters calling for the protection of Bangladeshi minorities, chanted slogans of “who are we, Bengali Bengali” and called for peace while blocking an intersection in Dhaka on Friday.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council estimates that communal violence has affected at least 52 of the country’s 64 districts since 5 August.

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

The United Nations Secretary-General’s office has called for the violence in Bangladesh to be “tamped down,” asserting its opposition to any “racially based attacks” or “racially based incitement to violence.”

Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus are attempting to flee to neighboring India to escape the ongoing violence.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has set up a committee to monitor the current situation on the India-Bangladesh Border (IBB) amid the crisis in the neighbouring country.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in a post on X on Friday that the committee will keep open communication channels with Bangladeshi authorities to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals, Hindus, and other minority communities residing in Bangladesh.

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