"Very painful": Assam BJP president condemns violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, demands immediate action

Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 7 (ANI): Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia on Wednesday condemned the violence against minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh, saying it's "very painful" and demanded immediate action.
Speaking with ANI, he urged the Bangladesh and Indian governments to ensure the safety of Hindus and protect their human rights.
"For the past few months, atrocities have been inflicted on minorities in Bangladesh - especially Hindus. Hindus have been thrashed and killed. This is very painful. Due to them being Hindus and minorities, they are being oppressed there. Human rights are being violated there...I demand that this be immediately stopped, and I pray to God for all Hindus in Bangladesh...Bangladesh Govt and Govt of India should make an effort towards ensuring that this is stopped immediately..." he said.
Earlier, Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday assured people that the Government of India is taking action to address violence against the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
Governor Shukla said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is in constant contact with the Bangladesh government and urged people to have confidence in the Indian government's actions.
"The Indian government is taking action at its level. The External Affairs Minister is in regular contact with the government there and is also registering our protest. The entire Ministry of External Affairs is monitoring the situation... I believe everyone should have faith in the actions of the Indian government," he said.
Meanwhile, another Hindu was killed in Bangladesh today. Mithun Sarkar, a young Hindu man, was forcefully drowned to death by a radicalised mob on suspicion of theft.
Mithun Sarkar, who lived in the Mohadevpur area of Naogaon's northern district, was chased by a mob that accused him of theft. To save his life, the Hindu man jumped into the water. He was grabbed by the mob there and drowned to death, Mohammad Tariqul Islam, Police Super (SP) of Naogoan, told ANI over the phone on Wednesday.
"We are conducting a post-mortem on Mithun Sarkar's body and investigating the incident", he added, without elaborating.
In the first week of January, atleast 10 cases of violence have been reported against the Hindu minorities. On January 3, businessman Khokan Chandra Das was hacked and set on fire, leading to his death in Shariatpur. On January 4, a 40-year-old Hindu widow was raped, tied to a tree, and tortured by having her hair cut off in Kaliganj, Jhenaidah.
The MEA noted that independent assessments have documented over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities during the tenure of Bangladesh's interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, including cases of killings, arson and land grabbing. (ANI)