"Deeply concerning": UK lawmakers raise concern over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Labour Party MP Barry Gardiner on Monday requested for an urgent session in the UK Parliament to discuss the situation in Bangladesh and recent attacks on members of Hindu community.

Informing the members of UK Parliament regarding the measures taken by the government regarding the situation in Bangladesh, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State For Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Catherine West, recalled her visit to Bangladesh in November, where she met Bangladesh Interim government's chief advisor Muhammad Yunus and discussed bilateral issues, including the importance of protecting religious minorities in Bangladesh.

West stated, "Just last month, as my hon. Friend the Member for Brent West (Barry Gardiner) is aware, I visited Bangladesh, where, as part of our programme, I met Chief Adviser Professor Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain. At the meeting with Chief Adviser Yunus, I discussed the full range of bilateral issues, including the importance of protecting religious minorities in Bangladesh."

"The UK Government support freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression in Bangladesh through both our political advocacy and development programme funding, providing up to 27 million from March 2023 to February 2028 under the Bangladesh collaborative, accountable and peaceful politics programme for protecting civic and political space," she added.

She said that the Bangladesh interim government had given them assurances on Hindu community in Bangladesh. West said, "She stated that UK government will continue to monitor the situation, including making representations from this House, and will engage with the interim Government in Bangladesh on the importance of freedom of religion or belief specifically as it affects the Hindu community."

She stated that UK is aware about Indian government's concerns following the arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das.

Catherine West said, "We are aware of the statement of concern from the Indian Government following the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a well-known Hindu leader, on sedition charges. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office desk is closely monitoring those developments."

Chinmoy Krishna Das who is associated with the Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was arrested in Dhaka on November 25. The arrest followed a complaint filed on October 31 by a local politician that accused Chinmoy Das and others of disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag during a rally of the Hindu community.

In his remarks at the Parliament, Barry Gardiner said that Bangladesh has witnessed over 2000 incidents of violence since the fall of the previous government in August.

Gardiner stated, "Since the fall of the previous Government in August, Bangladesh has seen more than 2,000 incidents of violence, most of which have been targeted against the minority Hindu community. Hindus make up less than 10 per cent of the population of Bangladesh. As my hon. Friend will be aware, anti-Hindu violence has been a recurrent event in Bangladesh. Indeed, earlier this year, the Jamaat-e-Islami party was banned after riots in which 200 people were killed."

He further said, "While Bangladesh no longer has the secular constitution of 1971 and became an Islamic state in 1988, there are none the less supposed to be protections for minority religions under the constitution, including articles 28 and 39. However, these appear not to be being enforced. There are reports of police and army standing by, as more than 20 places of minority Hindu and Sufi worship were vandalised and their worshippers attacked. This came Toggle showing location of Column 34 to a head on Friday, when extremist groups from the Jamaat-e-Islami party attacked two Hindu temples in Chittagong and conducted a campaign of orchestrated violence against the Hindu population."

He also raised the issue of arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das and called ISKCON is a worldwide branch of modern Hinduism with its UK headquarters at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Bushey. He said, "People are concerned that while he was engaged in exclusively peaceful protest, he has been denied due process, charged with sedition and refused bail, yet none of the individuals who attacked the temples has been apprehended or charged."

Conservative MP Priti Patel said that uncontrolled violence is being witnessed in many quarters of Bangladesh. She called the degree of escalation in the violence "deeply concerning."

Patel said, "There are deep and long-standing ties between our two countries. The Minister visited Bangladesh recently. She is right to point out that, as the hon. Member for Brent West said, the degree of escalation in the violence is deeply, deeply concerning."

"What we are witnessing now is uncontrolled violence in many quarters. We are watching with horror and shock as further violence spreads in Bangladesh. The thoughts of all of us in the House are with the diaspora community here and those affected in Bangladesh. These are deeply disturbing reports. The Minister also mentioned the deadly attacks and the violence that took place during what is an auspicious period, the Durga Puja festival, in 2021. Given the current instability in Bangladesh and the departure of the former Prime Minister in August, this is a moment of deep concern."

UK MP Bob Blackman expressed concern over the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh and called the issue an "attempt at the ethnic cleansing of Hindus from Bangladesh."

Blackman said, "Hindus are suffering with their houses being burned and their businesses ransacked. Priests have been arrested, and I understand that two more were arrested over the weekend, and 63 monks have been denied access to the country. The clear issue is an attempt at the ethnic cleansing of Hindus from Bangladesh. Will the Minister come out and condemn outright this violence against Hindus? We want to hear not just words of piety, but absolute condemnation of what is going on. Religious minorities are being deliberately persecuted because of their religion."

In his remarks on the issue, UK MP Sam Curling stated that several constituents have been in touch who are "incredibly concerned" about their family members in Bangladesh. He said, "Those family members have been living in extreme fear for some time, but particularly since August, and reports of increasing violence against the Hindu community are disturbing."

UK MP Kirsteen Sullivan also mentioned about being aware about the acts of violence committed against Hindu community. She said, "Some of my constituents from the growing Indian community in Winchburgh are increasingly concerned about the accounts of horrific acts of violence towards the Hindu community in Bangladesh."

Asking the UK minister regarding the assurance that she can provide to constituents, Sullivan said, "Does the Minister agree that violence against Hindus, or any other religious minorities, is entirely unacceptable? What reassurance can she provide to my constituents that the UK Government are supporting all efforts to protect the freedom of religion and belief?"

Labour MP Rupa Huq called for being vigilant against all attacks on minorities, including Buddhists, Christians or the Hindus in Bangladesh. She recalled that these kind of communal tensions have existed in Bangladesh since the country's formation in 1971.

She said, "Between 1974 and 2001, the Hindu population in Bangladesh decreased from 13.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent, so this is not a new phenomenon. May I also caution the Minister? Following the collapse of the regime after the murder of 800 students in the summer, some people may seek to exploit these tensions, and we need to stamp on that hard."

UK MP Jim Shannon expressed gratitude to Catherine West for her commitment to addressing issues of religious freedom and human rights. He said, "Over 16 days, 2,010 people reported incidents, including attacks on 69 Hindu temples. The homes of 157 families were attacked, looted, vandalised or set on fire, and nine Hindus lost their life."

He asked the UK government about the steps that they can take with the Bangladeshi Government and international partners to promote the rights of religious minorities in Bangladesh, to ensure accountability for these heinous crimes, and to promote the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief for all.

Other UK lawmakers, including Monica Harding, Paula Barker, Amanda Martin, Gurinder Singh Jason and Lake Murphy also expressed concern over the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh.

Conservative Party MP Greg Smith urged the UK government to take every diplomatic measure possible to protect the Hindus in Bangladesh.

Smith said, "A number of members of the Hindu community in Mid Buckinghamshire have contacted me to say that they are deeply concerned about the situation in Bangladesh, and I urge the Minister to take every diplomatic step possible to protect Hindus in that country."

Notably, Bangladesh has witnessed a surge in violent attacks against Hindus and other minority groups, prompting calls for greater protection and support.

The situation in Bangladesh has been marked by increasing violence against minority communities, after the arrest of a former priest Chinmoy Krishna Das over sedition charges and for allegedly hoisting a saffron flag above Bangladesh's national flag in Chittagong on October 25. (ANI)