'Hindus Being Killed, India Should Request UN Peacekeeping Forces For Bangladesh': TMC MPs Echo Mamata Banerjee's Remarks

A day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee called for United Nations (UN) peacekeeping in Bangladesh and the Indian government's intervention, her party leader raised the issue in the parliament.

TMC member of Parliament (MP) Sudeep Bandyopadhyay said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday (3 December) that in our neighbouring country Bangladesh, minorities and Hindus are being tortured and killed.

"Bangladesh is our neighbouring country attached to our state of West Bengal. We are making an appeal that let the government of India appeal to the United Nations to send peacekeeping forces to Bangladesh immediately," he said.

Accusing the Government of India (GoI) of being totally silent now, Bandopadhyay appealed to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to inform parliament of the latest position of Bangladesh.

"Our Chief Minister yesterday adopted in the West Bengal assembly that whatever decision GoI will take, the West Bengal government will stand by the decision. We want to work together," the TMC MP said.

Bandyopadhyay reflected on historical moments when a significant number of refugees crossed over from Bangladesh into West Bengal, alluding to the migration waves seen during the years following Partition and the exodus leading up to the 1971 war.

Following the TMC leader's remarks, BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar, speaking in Bangla, questioned whether being a Bangladeshi Hindu was a crime. He expressed strong concerns about the hardships faced by Bangladeshi Hindus in the predominantly Muslim neighboring country.

TMC MP Kirti Azad supported this stance and said, "When such a situation persists in Bangladesh, as an elder brother and given our good relations, the GoI should protect the ones who are facing the wrong there."

"When GoI is silent and does politics here too, United Nations will have to intervene - that not only in Bangladesh, but wherever in the world the minorities are being persecuted it should be stopped," he added.