Washington: Condemning assaults on minorities in Bangladesh, a number of Hindu American teams have sought that US help for the South Asian nation be made contingent on its authorities taking measurable motion to guard these populations.
Bangladesh’s minority Hindus, which represent solely about eight per cent of the 170 million inhabitants, have confronted over 200 assaults in 50-odd districts because the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League authorities on August 5.
Issues took a flip for the more severe this week after Hindu religious chief Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested in a sedition case. He was later denied bail by a courtroom, triggering protests by neighborhood members in varied areas, together with the capital Dhaka and the port metropolis of Chattogram.
Das was a member of the Worldwide Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and was lately expelled.
Vishva Hindu Parishad America (VHPA) president Ajay Shah mentioned the information of Das’ arrest, vandalism of Kali Mandir in Chittagong and the rising assaults on Hindus throughout Bangladesh are disconcerting.
“Is that this the human rights legacy the Biden administration needs to be remembered for,” he requested.
VHPA basic secretary Amitabh Mittal mentioned, “The silence of worldwide media relating to the continued atrocities towards minorities in Bangladesh is deafening. The latest arrest of an ISKCON priest and the violent assaults on Hindu temples underscore the alarming rise in spiritual intolerance.”
These incidents are a part of a “broader sample of discrimination”, he alleged.
“The shortage of worldwide condemnation solely additional emboldens the perpetrators and threatens the security and freedom of minority communities in Bangladesh,” Mittal mentioned.
In an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump, Hindus for America First (HFAF) beneficial halting US funding for initiatives in Bangladesh tied to Beijing’s ambitions and prioritising initiatives that profit America and its allies immediately.
“Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian communities in Bangladesh have confronted systemic violence and discrimination. We humbly ask that your administration make US help contingent on the Bangladeshi authorities taking measurable motion to guard these populations. Taxpayer {dollars} ought to by no means assist governments that fail to safeguard their most susceptible residents,” mentioned HFAF Founder and Chairman Utsav Sanduja.
He claimed sure Bangladeshi officers have ties to extremist teams like Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam, and these connections pose a risk to US safety.
“We respectfully advocate visa restrictions and tighter oversight to stop these ideologies from taking root on American soil,” Sanduja mentioned in his letter.
Observing that Bangladesh’s garment exports rely closely on US markets, he mentioned that by imposing strategic tariffs, the Trump administration can prioritise American manufacturing and make sure that our staff, not overseas economies, profit from American commerce.
“Entry to US defence know-how and intelligence-sharing programmes ought to be reserved for nations aligned with America’s safety priorities. We advocate pausing defence cooperation with Bangladesh till it aligns with US pursuits,” Sanduja mentioned.
A consultant of Hindu temples throughout the USA, Tejal Shah, additionally condemned the violence towards minorities in Bangladesh.
“I very strongly condemn placing Shree Krishna Das Prabhu Ji in jail, vandalism and destruction of Hindu temples in main cities of Bangladesh,” she mentioned.
“The minorities reside in fixed concern, being harassed and the world is silently watching. This struggling should cease, the rights of Hindus, who’re minorities, have to be protected… the expectations of American Hindus… shouldn’t be undermined by the administration,” she mentioned.
