Assam Congress working president writes to UN on Bangladesh violence

Working president of opposition Congress in Assam, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, has written to United Nations about the series of violence that took place in Bangladesh during the Durga Puja festival following a social media post about the alleged desecration of the Quran at a Durga Puja pandal in Comilla district.

The MLA from the Karimganj district has written to the Human Rights Council branch office of the UN, asking them to intervene. Dey, who represents North Karimganj, has also written to Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and requested her to set an example by taking strong actions against the miscreants.

In his letter to the UN, Purkayastha wrote, “I am intending to shed some light about the barbaric incidents that happened in Bangladesh. There are wide-scale reports of vandalism at the pandals during Durgapuja and created havoc. The media reports and viral videos are suggesting that miscreants not only demolished the Durga idols but also attacked the devotees. This has resulted in outrage in India. People here are worried about those staying and facing this kind of situation in the neighbouring country. Hence, I request you to immediately intervene in this matter and kindly ensure the safety of the people there.”

In his opinion, the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh will provoke other countries to mistreat their religious minorities.

Talking to Hindustan Times, Kamalakhya said, “In Bangladesh, Hindus are minorities but there are other countries where Muslims are minorities too. If the majority of Muslims in Bangladesh keep mistreating the minority Hindus, it’ll provoke people in other countries to do the same with Muslims. I think the government of Bangladesh needs to address this issue properly and give a message to the world.”

Karimganj shares a large border with Bangladesh and locals are connected to each other socially and culturally. In his letter to Bangladesh PM, he mentioned how people in India are looking at the violence against minorities in Bangladesh.

Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha has been vocal on several issues and is critical of several decisions of the state and the central government. He also wrote to prime minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to intervene.

People in Barak Valley have condemned the violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Hindu Chatra Sangha from Cachar district has written to the PM of India, PM of Bangladesh, Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh, to ensure the security of the general Hindu populace of the neighbouring nation and compensate those who lost their homes, lives of close ones and got injured in the violent attacks.

Subhashis Choudhary from the student organisation said, “During the religious festival, almost every year, we see Hindus getting harassed and sometimes killed in Bangladesh. But being a more powerful country, India keeps watching. The leaders speak about Hindutva during elections but they hardly take a stand against such violence when it is actually required.”

Dilbagh Hussain, a resident of Lailapur said, “It is very shameful and unfortunate. I feel ashamed after seeing this. How can a human treat another this way? Those who are involved in this act of violence must be punished so that no one can dare the same in future. We all should respect others’ beliefs.”