VHP Requests Indian Government To Safeguard Hindus, Block 'Jihadi' Refugees From Bangladesh

On Thursday (8 August), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) urged the Indian government to protect Hindus in violence-stricken Bangladesh and prevent "jihadis" disguised as refugees from crossing into India amid the ongoing unrest there.

VHP Madhya Bharat Prant Mantri (Secretary) Rajesh Jain stated, "We request the Centre to take all possible steps to protect Hindus in Bangladesh who are being persecuted and their houses and places of worship being vandalised. We demand from the Centre to protect Hindus who are the soft target in the neighbouring country."

Jain also added that every VHP and Bajrang Dal activist is prepared to support the Army and the Border Security Force in guarding the borders with Bangladesh.

He further stated, "If the Centre asks us, we are ready to lend support to the security forces on borders with the trouble-torn Bangladesh."

Jain also claimed that the Hindu population in Bangladesh, which was 32 per cent at the time of partition, has plummeted to just 8 per cent due to persecution and violence by "jihadis."

As per a report by The Indian Express, the recent wave of violence in Bangladesh, following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on Monday, has claimed at least 232 lives, bringing the total death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests began in mid-July.

Jain emphasised the need for the Indian government to prevent "jihadis" from entering the country under the guise of refugees.

Reports of strife and violence are emerging from nearly every district in Bangladesh, with extremists targeting crematoriums, damaging temples, and attacking homes, according to the VHP leader.

The VHP's Madhya Bharat Prant includes the Bhopal and Gwalior divisions of Madhya Pradesh. The organisation's Madhya Kshetra encompasses the Bhopal, Malwa, and Mahakoshal regions of Madhya Pradesh, as well as the state of Chhattisgarh.