Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh: Sushma asks Indian envoy to take up issue

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian high commissioner in Bangladesh to covey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasnia India’s concerns about the safety and well being of Hindus following attacks on members of the community.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian high commissioner in Bangladesh to covey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina India’s concerns about the safety and well being of Hindus following attacks on members of the community.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj (HT File Photo)

Bangladesh police have arrested more than 50 people in connection with attacks on Hindu temples and members of the community in the Muslim-majority country.

Miscreants set on fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack on Friday in Brahmanbarhia district’s Nasirnagar, the place where at least fifteen temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

Many Hindus from Bangladesh have been reaching out to Swaraj, seeking her intervention. “I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and well being of Hindus in Bangladesh,” Swaraj tweeted on Sunday.

Several Hindu families have deserted their houses after the attacks, according to reports.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) estimates more than one hundred Hindu houses and 17 temples have been vandalised and looted since the violence broke out on October 30.

Muslim hardliners protested and demanded action against a Hindu youth who they say shared Facebook post. Police arrested the youth for hurting religious sentiments, but the arrest failed to defuse the tension.