Hindu outfits across North India protest against alleged atrocities on community in Bangladesh

    New Delhi/Jaipur/Lucknow, Dec 10 (PTI) Members of various Hindu organisations on Tuesday staged protests across North India against the alleged atrocities being committed on members of the community in Bangladesh.
    While hundreds of people from various outfits, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), held a protest march at Delhi's Chanakyapuri flagging the rights violations of minorities in Bangladesh, a similar march was taken out in Lucknow condemning the alleged attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country.
    At Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, protesters took out a rally from the Shaheed Samarak to the deputy commissioner's office, while in Jaipur, a delegation of intellectuals submitted a memorandum to Rajasthan Governor denouncing the alleged atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh.
    In Delhi, security was stepped up outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Chankyapuri where a large number protesters gathered to raise the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh.
    Demanding the intervention of United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the matter, the protesters carrying placards called upon Bangladesh to stop the alleged "genocide" of Hindus in the country.
    "We condemn the atrocities being committed on the minorities, especially Hindus, in the neighbouring country. Bangladesh must immediately stop human rights violations," Virender Singh, one of the protesters, said.
    The march coinciding with world Human Rights Day aimed to register Indian society's protest against the continuous atrocities on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, a statement said.
    Several personalities, including Sadhvi Ritambhara, Keshav Murari from ISKCON, former Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava, ex-Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri, and Buddhist spiritual leader Rahul Bhante, among others, addressed the rally.
    A memorandum was also submitted to the Bangladesh High Commissioner by the members of Civil Society of Delhi, emphasising the historically strong and cordial relations between India and Bangladesh, the statement said.
    In Lucknow, a protest march was taken out from the Lucknow University till the General Post Office in Hazratganj, which was attended by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, among others.
    "Contrary to Bangladesh and Pakistan, where Hindus are targeted, people of all religions live peacefully in India," a protester said.
    A large number of protesters also took to the streets in Dharamsala showing solidarity with the Hindus in Bangladesh. A delegation of protesters later submitted a memorandum to the Kangra district commissioner at his office where the rally concluded.
    Kamal Sharma, one of the protesters, said, "Through this protest, we demand justice for the Hindus in Bangladesh."
    Meanwhile, concerned about the reports of increasing violence against Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh, a delegation of intellectuals submitted a memorandum to Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagade in Jaipur on Tuesday.
    The memorandum addressed to the UN Secretary-General and the President of India sought their immediate intervention to safeguard human rights, prevent targeted violence, and deploy UN peacekeepers in Bangladesh.
    The delegation led by retired Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice NK Jain accused the Bangladeshi government of turning a blind eye to the violence, and supporting radical elements.
    The memorandum also claimed that Hindus in Bangladesh are being coerced into religious conversions, and those resisting are facing severe persecution.
    Military veterans, academics and former government officials presented the memorandum on behalf of 40 intellectuals from various fields.
    Hindus constitute about 8 per cent of Bangladesh's 170 million population.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)