Lok Jagaran Manch Stages Dharna in Guwahati, Submits Memorandum to Bangladesh

Over a hundred concerned citizens gathered in front of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Guwahati on December 10, to mark International Human Rights Day with a protest against the ongoing persecution of Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh.

The protest was organized by the Lok Jagaran Manch, which also submitted a strongly-worded memorandum to the interim government in Dhaka through the Bangladesh diplomat stationed in the city.

The memorandum, addressed to Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of Bangladesh's caretaker government, accused both Islamist fundamentalists and the Bangladeshi government of perpetrating atrocities against Hindus and other religious minorities. 

It condemned the rise in attacks, killings, looting, arson, and sexual violence against women by extremist groups, highlighting the government's failure to ensure the safety of its minority populations.

Before submitting the memorandum, a protest meeting was held at the Navagraha Kali Mandir in Silpukhuri, where activists and intellectuals discussed the worsening situation for religious minorities in Bangladesh. Prominent intellectual Diganta Biswas Sharma criticized both Bangladesh and Pakistan for failing to protect religious minorities, invoking the Nehru-Liaquat pact.

Social activist Kailash Sharma called for the revocation of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Yunus, while advocate Bijon Mahajan demanded urgent action to protect the oppressed Hindus and other minorities.

Other activists, including Paramesh Dutta and Simantini Barua, joined in condemning the Bangladesh government’s failure to safeguard its Hindu citizens. The protesters then marched through Silpukhuri, culminating in a demonstration in front of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission, where a delegation led by Dhruva Prasad Baishya handed over the memorandum to the officials.

The memorandum urged the Bangladeshi government to ensure that Hindus and other minorities can live with dignity, free from government interference or threats from extremists. It strongly criticized the authorities' silence and inaction concerning the conditions faced by religious leaders, particularly Hindu sages and saints, and other religious minorities.

In addition to calling for the protection of religious freedoms, the memorandum condemned the arrest of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, labeling it as unjust and undemocratic.

It highlighted the lack of legal protection for detained Hindus and expressed concern over the forced dismissal of Hindu employees from their jobs, which it described as a violation of basic human rights.

The memorandum concluded by calling on the Bangladeshi authorities to take immediate action to end the atrocities against Hindus and other minorities, secure the release of Chinmoy Krishna, and ensure the protection of religious places of worship and the lives and dignity of all minorities in Bangladesh.