Hindus Targeted At 27 Districts in Bangladesh, Houses, Businesses Attacked

New Delhi: Situation in neighbouring Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina's exit following a military coup is getting out of hands as rioters, protesters create a law and order situation. Amid this absolute mess and mayhem, minorities especially Hindus are becoming the target of unruly protesters. Reports have emerged that shops owned by Hindus, temples are being targeted.

Multiple Hindu temples including the ISKCON in Meherpur which is located in Bangladesh’s Khulna division, were vandalised.

Broadly, the current situation in Bangladesh has given an advantage to the anti-India elements to attack Hindus and Sikhs by targeting temples, shrines, gurudwaras.

According to ‘Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus’ social media handle on X, Hindus houses, a doctor's medical shop, have been targeted. It also reported that a Hindu man named Mrinal Kanti Chatterjee was killed by Islamists and seriously injured his wife who has been hospitalised.

Giving a first hand account of attack at ISKCON temple, its spokesperson Yudhistir Govinda Das said, “As per the information I have received, one of our ISKCON centres (rented) in Meherpur was burnt, including the deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladev, and Subhadra Devi. Three devotees who lived in the centre somehow managed to escape and survived.”

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Railways and Food processing Ravneet Singh Bittu has expressed serious concern over attacks on "Sikh shrines and Hindu temples located in Bangladesh" and urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up the issue with the Army authorities or the interim government of Bangladesh.

In a written communication to Jaishankar, Bittu said, "Since the population of Sikhs in Bangladesh is very small and certain anti-India elements were indulging in rampage of religious places, the Sikh community is worried about the safety of Sikh shrines in Bangladesh." "I, therefore, urge you to take up the issue with the Army authorities/Interim Govt of Bangladesh to protect the historical Sikh shrines viz. Gurdwara Nanak Shahi and Gurdwara Sangat Tola situated in Dhaka along with the Hindu temples," Bittu said.

"It is relevant to mention that Guru Nanak Dev ji and Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib had visited Dhaka and these gurudwaras were built in their memories," he added.

Bittu urged Jaishankar to assure the Sikh and Hindu communities in Bangladesh that the Indian government will take all necessary steps to protect the Sikh shrines and Hindu temples in Bangladesh.

India has said that it's in touch with the authorities in Dhaka and is monitoring the situation round the clock adding safety of its nationals is the utmost priority.