‘Bangladeshi Hindus not trying to enter India’: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday claimed that Hindus have not tried to enter India from Bangladesh after the neighbouring country plunged into political crisis after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as prime minister.
“Hindus are staying and fighting in Bangladesh. In the last one month, not a single Hindu person has been detected trying to enter India,” PTI quoted Sarma as saying.
He also asserted that Muslims from the neighbouring country were attempting to crossover to seek employment in India’s textile sector.
“35 Muslim infiltrators have been arrested in the past one month… they are trying to enter, but those coming are not for Assam, but to go to Bangalore, Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore to work in the textile industry,” the CM claimed.
“We have requested our prime minister to impress upon the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety of Hindus,” Sarma said as per PTI report.
Anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh
On August 5, Sheikh Hasina, the longest-serving prime minister, was forced to resign and flee Bangladesh after protests demanding her ouster had intensified. The Awami League leader reached India even as the protesters stormed her official prime minister’s residence.
There were reports of vandalism and attacks on Hindus there, who make up about eight per cent of Bangladesh’s 170 million population. They have historically supported the Awami League.
According to a Reuters report, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council estimated at least 52 of the country’s 64 districts had been affected by incidents of sectarian violence since August 5.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while congratulating the new interim government’s chief adviser and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, said,”We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities.”
According to a PTI report, in a telephonic conversation with PM Modi, Yunus said Dhaka would prioritise protection and safety of Hindus and all other minority groups.