Bengal MLA Leads Petrapole Protest Over Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Kolkata: Thousands of people staged a protest at Petrapole along Indo-Bangla border on Saturday, expressing outrage over alleged attacks and atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh, as well as the recent arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.

The protest was led by Ambika Roy, the BJP MLA from Kalyani in West Bengal, who raised slogans against the interim government of Bangladesh for its failure to protect Hindu property and prevent arson and vandalism at religious sites, including those in capital city Dhaka.

The demonstrators, who gathered under the banner of the 'United Forum of Bengalis in India', demanded that political leaders and former army officials in Bangladesh cease making provocative statements against neighbouring India.

They emphasised that India believes in peaceful coexistence and has no imperialist agenda, though its security forces remain on alert to counter any misadventure.

Speaking to reporters, Roy said he joined the demonstration as an Indian citizen, adding that it was an apolitical rally. "Every Indian should protest what is happening in Bangladesh," he said.

Border Security Force (BSF) personnel put up guardrails near the protest site to prevent the demonstrators from approaching the zero point at the border.

Meanwhile, ISKCON Kolkata vice-president Radharamn Das told reporters in the city that the utterances of certain groups in Bangladesh have caused insecurity among minorities, particularly Hindus.

"We hope better sense will prevail, and the security and safety of minorities will be safeguarded by the Md Yunus government," he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)