In response to the attacks on Hindu minorities in neighbouring Bangladesh, currently under the rule of an interim government, hundreds of Hindus took out a protest march in Kolkata on Tuesday. Some BJP leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, also participated in the march.
Since the ouster of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, extremists have scaled up their attacks on Hindus who form eight per cent of the country’s population. According to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, as reported by AP, over 2,000 attacks on Hindus have occurred since August 4.
Tensions escalated on November 5 in the port city of Chittagong where security forces reportedly targeted Hindus. Clashes were reported from the city’s Hazari Gali area where a Jamat-e-Islami member had put up a provocative social media post targeting ISKCON.
In protest of the current situation in Bangladesh, Giri Gobardhandhari Charitable Trust wanted to march from Rani Rashmoni Road in Esplanade to the office of the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh near Park Circus with 3,000 thousand people.
The Calcutta Police initially denied them permission, but the Calcutta High Court allowed the protest march with specific conditions. The court permitted up to 1,000 people to march, allowing them to proceed up to Beckbagan Crossing, approximately 800 meters from the Deputy High Commissioner’s office.
The court further instructed the organisers to hold the march between 12 pm and 4 pm and ensure that protesters avoid making any provocative slogans during the march.
Scores of sadhu-sants in saffron attire and carrying saffron flags inscribed with “Jai Shree Ram” and “Om” took part in the march. Many women were seen walking with musical instruments typically used during kirtan.
Before the march, Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, stated that he would organise protests at the Indo-Bangla Petrapole border if attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh continued. He also claimed that Hindu traditions and culture are facing threats in West Bengal itself.
“What is happening in Bangladesh is also taking place here. Durga Pujas are getting attacked [in West Bengal]. The Kolkata mayor says there is a mini-Pakistan in Garden Reach,” he said. “Today’s march is to warn the West Bengal government and the Yunus government.”
The BJP MLA from Nandigram added, “A fundamentalist leader in Bangladesh is asking people to not visit Hindu hairdressers and sweet shops. If they don’t stop, (they must remember) Newtown’s third law that every action has equal and opposite reaction.”