Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Seeks Protection of Hindu Minorities in Bangladesh

Washington: Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has urged the US State Department to work towards the protection of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh .

The minority Hindus have faced regular vandalism of their businesses and properties and destruction of temples during and since the student-led violence erupted, resulting in the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5.

Krishnamoorthi on Monday was briefed by the State Department on their efforts to protect religious minority rights, especially those of Hindus, in Bangladesh .

During the briefing, the State Department emphasised that the protection of Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh is a top priority that they discuss in practically every high-level diplomatic meeting with the government of Bangladesh.

In addition, the State Department is actively working to bolster Bangladesh’s civilian security force with training specifically related to safeguarding religious minority rights, a media release said.

“I continued to urge the State Department to provide more public information related to their efforts in Bangladesh and statistics regarding the treatment of religious minorities in Bangladesh as we work to eliminate religious violence, discrimination, and bigotry. I appreciate the State Department’s attention to this important issue and will follow up again in the coming weeks,” Krishnamoorthi said.

Hindus constitute just about 8 per cent of the 170 million Bangladesh population.