Washington:

President Joe Biden is closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh and the United States will hold the Bangladeshi interim government accountable for ensuring the protection of religious and ethnic minorities in the country, the White House has said.

“The security situation in Bangladesh has been difficult following the ouster of the former prime minister. And we have been working closely with the interim government to enhance the capability of their law enforcement and security services to deal with the challenge,” White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said at a news conference on Thursday.

“We have been very clear in our engagement with all Bangladeshi leaders that protection of religious and ethnic minorities … security to all Bangladeshis regardless of religion or ethnicity. We want to hold them to that,” Kirby said in response to a question.

Over the past few weeks, Indian Americans have held peaceful protests and marches in several cities, including in front of the White House, in Chicago, New York, SFO, Detroit, Houston and Atlanta, urging Biden to help stop alleged brutalities against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.

Earlier in the day, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi urged members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to address the issue of violence against minorities, primarily Hindus, in Bangladesh during the confirmation hearing of Senator Marco Rubio for the position of secretary of state.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Senator Rubio for the top diplomatic position. The date of his confirmation hearing has not been announced yet.

“As targeted violence against Hindus and other minorities continues amid the disorder in Bangladesh, I urge the members of the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations to address this crisis directly during the upcoming hearings to confirm Senator Rubio as the next US secretary of state,” Krishnamoorthi said.

Over the weekend, a large number of Indian-Americans held a march from the White House to the US Capitol over alleged attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

Raising slogans like “We want Justice” and “Protect Hindus”, the demonstrators urged the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration to ask the new government in Bangladesh to take steps to protect Hindus and also initiate action against those responsible for this.

“The Bangladeshi Hindu community and the larger Hindu diaspora from the Indian subcontinent have come in support of the Bangladesh Hindu community because there is continuing violence going on in Bangladesh, specifically in Chittagong and Rangpur area, as well as in some other parts of the country,” said Utsav Chakrabarti of HinduACTion. PTI LKJ IJT IJT

Bangladesh Hindus hold a protest rally condemning communal atrocities committed against them and other religious groups in the Muslim-majority country, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The United States will continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh, the White House said, emphasising that President Joe Biden is “consistent in speaking loud and clear” on human rights issues.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was responding to questions regarding calls from Hindu-American groups and Indian-American lawmakers seeking the US government’s intervention in protecting the lives and properties of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

Also read:Seers concerned over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

“We are certainly going to continue monitoring the situation. I don’t have anything else to add beyond that. But, when it comes to any type of human rights issues, the president (Joe Biden) has been very consistent in speaking loud and clear in public and also privately and he’ll continue to do that,” Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference on Monday (August 12, 2024).

Over the past few days, hundreds of Hindu-Americans in various US cities have been holding peaceful protest rallies against the alleged human rights violations of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. Addressing a protest march in Atlanta on Sunday, Congressman Shawn Still appealed to the US State Department to ensure the safety and well-being of minorities in Bangladesh.

Local Atlanta representative Sheikh Rahman also endorsed the sentiments of the Hindu community and said he would do everything in his power by way of aggressive outreach to the Bangladesh regime to curb the violence and bring the violators to justice, a media release said.

The demonstrators displayed large banners and placards, waved American and Indian flags and chanted slogans, such as “Hindu Lives Matter”, “We Want Justice”, “United Nations, Wake Up” and “Jago Jago, Hindu Jago”.

Over 150 people also gathered in Fremont, California and raised similar slogans.

Congressman Rich McCormick, addressing a webinar organised by Coalition of Hindus of North America (COHNA), said he is deeply disturbed by the reports of sectarian violence targeting members of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.

McCormick assured the Hindu community of working with them to help in protecting the lives and properties of the minority in Bangladesh.

On Saturday (August 10, 2024) more than 100 Hindus and members of the Bangladeshi diaspora gathered in front of the White House to call on President Biden to take decisive action. Chanting “Stop killing Hindus” and “Justice, justice, we want justice,” the crowd urged the US government to intervene and protect Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh.

A large protest rally, co-hosted by the Washington-based NGO HinduACTion, was also held in the New York City, where protesters raised slogans of “Stop killing Hindus! Bangladesh! Bangladesh! Stop burning temples! Bangladesh! Bangladesh! We want justice! We want justice!”.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the United Nations headquarters and in Times Square to stage protests against the alleged attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh.

“The international community, and particularly the US government, cannot stand idly by as these crimes against humanity continue. We echo the calls for Congressional hearings to investigate these failures and to establish concrete measures that will prevent such violence in the future,” Utsav Chakrabarti, executive director, HinduACTion, said.

Two prominent Indian-American lawmakers have called for an immediate end to the ongoing brutal violence against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.

The Congressmen have also urged the prime minister-designate of the interim government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, to uphold the rule of law as he takes over the reins of the interim government.

Also read: Bangladeshis spend sleepless night amid fears of robbery and looting

The remarks by two influential Congressmen come a day after scores of Hindu American groups met State Department officials amidst the spike in crime against the minority Hindu community and the destruction of Hindu temples in Bangladesh.

They also said the failure of Congress and the administration to acknowledge and condemn the violence against Hindus and other religious minorities is unacceptable.

Several Hindu temples, households and businesses have been vandalised and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with Hasina’s Awami League party were killed in the violence since Monday when Hasina resigned and fled to India.

“Bangladeshi students had just human rights concerns against PM Hasina. It’s good she is gone. But the violence now targeting Hindus is wrong. PM Yunus must uphold the rule of law & prevent the targeting of temples or people of any political party or faith from violence,” Ro Khanna, Congressman said in a post on X on Thursday.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said, “As Bangladesh prepares to swear in its interim government, I urge all government officials, the new administration and police chief, and the people of Bangladesh to do all they can to end the violence that has emerged across the country, including the brutal targeting of the country’s Hindu minority, their homes, businesses, and their temples.” “The violence must stop and those responsible must be brought to justice to help the people of Bangladesh move forward as a nation. I will continue to closely monitor developments in Bangladesh in coordination with the US State Department,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Hindu American Foundation director of Policy Research Anita Joshi, Utsav Chakrabarti of HinduAction, Human Rights Collective for Bangladesh Minorities Executive Director Priya Saha, and geopolitical analyst Jay Kansara met with the US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom (IRF) Rashad Hussein at the US State Department in Washington, DC.

Urging US government action, the group briefed Hussein on the violence directed at Hindus and other religious minorities throughout Bangladesh, sharing documented incidents against Hindus and Hindu temples over 48 hours after Hasina left the country amidst civil unrest.

“The failure of Congress and this administration to acknowledge and condemn the violence against Hindus and other religious minorities is unacceptable,” Joshi said.

“The situation on the ground in Bangladesh is urgent and dire. We implore the State Department to use its clout and resources to put an end to this rampant violence against religious minorities, violence rooted in decades of mistrust and maltreatment of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority,” she said.

In a separate statement, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) urged the US President, State Department, IRF Ambassador, and presidential candidates to take immediate action to ensure peace is re-established in Bangladesh and that “minorities are protected, preventing another potential Hindu Genocide.” FIIDS also urged the United Nations to deploy observers and peacekeeping forces to contain the situation on the ground in Bangladesh and ensure the protection of vulnerable communities.

It made similar appeals to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Since Hasina fled the country on Monday, media reports from Bangladesh have flagged more and more cases of violence against minorities, including the massive vandalism and destruction at popular folk band Joler Gaan’s frontman Rahul Ananda’s residence on Monday prompting the singer and his family to go into hiding.

However, it is not just Hindus that are targeted. At least 232 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government on Monday, taking the death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests first started in mid-July.

Meanwhile, soon after he arrived in Dhaka from Paris, Yunus on Thursday promised to deliver a government which assures safety to its citizens. He is to take oath later in the evening.

Earlier on Tuesday, the US expressed deep concern about the continued violence in Bangladesh including attacks on members of religious or political groups, and said it will be vital for the new government to credibly investigate all such instances and provide justice to victims.

“We are deeply concerned about continued reports of violence in Bangladesh – including violence directed at members of religious or political groups. We are equally concerned about reports of violence against police and law enforcement,” a State Department spokesperson told PTI on Tuesday.