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Amid the cold weather conditions, a large crowd gathered at the Parliament Square in London on Wednesday in a demonstration calling for international attention against the continued torture, persecution and killing of minorities in Bangladesh, a statement by the Bangladesh Hindu Association and Bengali Hindu Adarsh Sangha said.
Organised by the Bangladesh Hindu Association (BHA) and supported by INSIGHT UK and the Bengali Hindu Adarsh Sangha (BHAS), this British Hindu diaspora event drew an audience of over 500 participants representing students, professionals, parents with children, elderly activists and interfaith leaders. Attendees included Baroness Sandeep Verma, Lord Dolar Popat, former MP Virendra Sharma, MP Navendu Mishra, MP Luke Murphy, MP Jim Dickson, Birmingham Cllr Andrew Hardie, and MP Andrew Mitchell. All dignitaries accepted the fact that this is no less than an ethnic cleansing happening in Bangladesh and assured their full support to the diaspora in bringing the matter to the UK government. As per the statement, a spokesperson of the event highlighted quite a few issues that the minority communities of Bangladesh are suffering. These include long-standing patterns of discrimination, targeted violence, killings and demographic decline suffered by the minority communities in Bangladesh and first-hand testimonies from families of victims, underscoring the human cost. Grave concerns over the arrest of interfaith religious voice Chinmaya Prabhu and the public lynching of Dipu Das, followed by 15 Hindus killed in a planned genocide. Social media platforms buzzed with photos and livestreams from the demonstration, amplifying reach beyond London and garnering support from global audiences, the statement said. It further noted that the organisers had the following 4-point demands, and regarding this, a memorandum was also submitted to PM Keir Starmer. These included immediate suspension of UK aid and trade with Bangladesh till it takes necessary action against the perpetrators; formal Parliamentary Action by issuing an urgent Ministerial Statement and enabling full parliamentary debate and scrutiny; targeted international accountability by pursuing international scrutiny and applying targeted sanctions against perpetrators and monitoring and engagement of the situation by appointing a designated UK ministerial lead or special envoy. The Bangladesh Hindu Association stated, "This protest is not against any nation or faith, but against injustice. Standing at Parliament Square is a call to conscience, urging the international community to recognise that Hindu lives matter and that silence is not an option." (ANI)
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