Protests continued in Kolkata against the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, the mistreatment of Hindu minorities, and the disrespect shown to the Indian national flag in Bangladesh. Both the BJP and the Congress staged separate rallies and marches across various parts of the city on Tuesday.
The Congress protest was organised by the party’s south Kolkata district committee. The grand old party organised a small march before gathering at Tollygunge where they burned an effigy of Muhammad Yunus, the current head of the interim government in Bangladesh.
“The caretaker [interim] government of Bangladesh must take the responsibility of the safety of all minorities, including Hindu, Buddhists, Christians,” Pradip Prasad, President of South Kolkata District Congress Committee, told the media.
“[Bangladesh government] cannot brush the issue under the carpet saying it is their internal matter. This has created an adverse impact internationally”. He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break “his silence” over the matter and raise the issue before the United Nations.
Congress activists also accused the BJP in West Bengal, led by Suvendu Adhikari, of exploiting the issue to create communal divisions within society. They pointed to the recent threats made by the Leader of the Opposition, including a proposed export ban on Bangladesh, as evidence of this manipulation.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s mazdoor cell took out a march from the party’s state headquarters at 6, Muralidhar Sen Lane. The demonstrators demanded that Chinmoy Krishna Das be released and the attacks on the minorities in Bangladesh be stopped immediately.
They reiterated Adhikari's demand for an export ban on Bangladesh and suggested that the Indian government halt visa issuance to Bangladeshi citizens in response to the disrespect shown towards the Indian tricolour.
Earlier on Monday, LoP Adhikari had cautioned that if the situation in Bangladesh remains unchanged, Hindus in West Bengal would stop the exports of essential goods to Bangladesh for five days next week before imposing an “indefinite ban” on exports in 2025.