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NEWS : Govt. Asks Bangladesh about condition of Hindus
India takes up security for Bangla Hindus with Hasina govt
Alok Tomar in New Delhi
The safety and security of Hindus in Bangladesh has become the
subject of considerable concern, and even more correspondence, between the
governments of the two countries.
The ministry of external affairs in New Delhi, responding to
memoranda submitted by the West Bengal government in this connection, has
taken up the issue with its counterpart in the Bangladesh government,
sources said.
As of now, there are an estimated 120,000 Hindus in Bangladesh -
mostly belonging to families that had opted to stay back in what was then
Pakistan, after Partition.
The lot of these Hindus, however, became difficult after the
demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in December 1992. In
retaliation, many Hindu temples in Bangladesh were destroyed, and violence
forced Hindu families in the villages to flee from their homes and seek
shelter in the cities.
These refugees of communal violence have since written to their
relatives in India, who in turn petitioned the West Bengal government. The
These refugees of communal violence have since written to their
relatives in India, who in turn petitioned the West Bengal government. The
latter atter approached Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, and thus was set in
motion the present initiative by the MEA.
The ministry, sources said, has in a letter to its counterparts
in Bangladesh asked for a speedy reply to the following questions:
How many Hindus in Bangladesh have applied for police
security/escort after December 1992?
How many cases of rioting and looting have been registered by
Hindus in Bangladesh in this period?
Is there any blanket ban on the issual of passports to the
Hindu community in Bangladesh?
Is mail, to and from the Hindus in that country, being
intercepted?
Is there any enquiry reports regarding human rights violations
targeting Hindus in Bangladesh?
Admitting that this kind of enquiry is unprecedented, MEA sources
hoped that in the wake of Sheikh Hasina Wahed coming back to power,
matters in that country will improve drastically. After all, MEA officials
point out, Sheikh Hasina, was granted residence, security, financial
assistance and all other facilities during her earlier period of exile by the
federal government in Delhi and the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
