Civil Society to Protest at Bangladesh Embassy Against Attacks on Hindus

New Delhi: An RSS functionary announced on Friday that civil society members from over 200 social and cultural organizations will march to the Bangladesh embassy next week to protest the "persecution" of Hindus and other minority communities in Bangladesh.

Rajnish Jindal, co-in charge of the RSS Delhi unit's media and communications department, announced at a press conference that a march to the Bangladesh embassy will be held on December 10, International Human Rights Day, under the banner of 'Civil Society of Delhi.'

"The entire country (people of India) is outraged and agitated over the ongoing atrocities against Hindus and other minority community members in Bangladesh," Jindal said.

"We will take out a protest march to the Bangladesh embassy in Delhi on December 10 against atrocities against Hindus and members of the other minority communities in Bangladesh," he said.

Civil Society to Protest March

Representatives of more than 200 social, cultural and religious organizations in Delhi will join the protest march, the RSS functionary added.

"We will submit a memorandum to the Bangladesh embassy. We will submit a memorandum to all international organisations, including UN, UNHRC, WHO, AMNESTY International and ADB, demanding that they immediately intervene to stop the ongoing atrocities and violence against Hindus in Bangladesh," Jindal said.

Ahead of the protest march, a memorandum in this regard will be submitted to all district magistrates in Delhi on December 9, he added.

Seek Global Intervention 

The protest march is aimed at drawing the attention of "national and international stakeholders" to the "violence and persecution" of Hindus and other minority community members in Bangladesh, seeking their intervention, the organisers of the event said in a statement.

Addressing a press conference, former high commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri and former director general of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Rajiv Jain highlighted the "worsening" human rights situation in Bangladesh, expressing grave concern over the violence against the minority community members in the neighbouring country.

"This is the worst situation for the Hindus and other minority communities in Bangladesh since the Liberation War of 1971," Sikri said.

She said there had been incidents of attacks on Hindus in the past in Bangladesh but they did not continue for long.

"Attacks on livelihood, rape, abduction and killing -- we are witnessing these kinds of attacks there today only after 1971," she said while claiming that several Hindus in government jobs in Bangladesh have been "forced" to resign.

Bangladesh Incapable of Protecting Minorities

Rajiv Jain, the ex-chief of IB and former member of the NHRC, said there is an "open violation" of the rights of Hindus and members of the other minority communities in Bangladesh and the interim government of the country is "unable" to protect them.

Even the judiciary and government bodies, including the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh, are "unable" to protect the rights of minority community members in the country, he added.

(with agency inputs)