Kolkata: Bangladeshi sarees burned at protest against attacks on Hindus

The demonstration, organised by the Bengali Hindu Suraksha Samiti, was held at the Salt Lake International Bus Terminus.

Bangladesh-origin Dhakai Jamdani sarees were set on fire during a protest in Kolkata against atrocities against Hindus in the neighbouring country. The protest, organized by the Bengali Hindu Suraksha Samiti, was held at the Salt Lake International Bus Terminus.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh during a protest rally against alleged atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh, in Kolkata on Sunday. (ANI Photo)(Sudipta Banerjee )

Protestors were calling for a boycott of all Bangladeshi goods, including sarees, and warned that Indian's would not remain silent if the disrespect towards the country and attacks on Bangladesh's Hindu minority continued.

A person at the rally told PTI, “We condemn the continuous targeting of Hindus in Bangladesh and the hate-driven narratives against India. We will not sit idle and with burning the Jamdani sarees, we urge people to boycott Bangladeshi products."

"What kind of Bangladesh is this? The people who fought for liberation in 1971 now seem to be erasing their own history," said another protestor.

The protesters also urged the central government to ensure the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh.

BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party)'s senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also set fire to the Indian saree belonging to his wife on December 5 in protest of attacks on the Bangladeshi assistant high commission in Agartala, Tripura.

Tensions between the two countries have been high after former ISKCON priest Chinmoy Das was arrested under charges of sedition, leading to clashes between authorities and the Hindu minority. The arrest also led to calls to address crimes against minorities in Bangladesh.

The minority Hindu community in Bangladesh has reportedly faced more than 200 attacks in 50-odd districts after Hasina's Awami League government fell, PTI reported.

“The foreign secretary is scheduled to visit Bangladesh for Foreign Office Consultations on December 9”, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told PTI.

With inputs from PTI