Kolkata:

A seventeen-year-old Hindu girl from Bangladesh ran through the night and crossed over to the Indian side where she was detained by border security officials and handed over to the West Bengal police. The reason she had to run away was because she was an ISKCON devotee.

She said her family has been facing threats for being from the minority community for the past several weeks, but the situation got out of hand when fundamentalists in Bangladesh threatened to kidnap her and kill the rest of her family. That is when she decided to run away from her country.

With no certainty of how long it might take her legally to flee to India, she decided to run to the border and cross it by foot. That is exactly what she did, but was caught by the Border Security Force or BSF and sent to police custody, where she narrated her escape.

According to the police, the teenage girl crossed over illegally from the border in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district. She claimed to have some relatives living in India and was apparently heading for their residence.

Though she has given her statement narrating her ordeal, the police want to be certain and not just take things on face value. They are now investigating the matter and also want to find out if she was accompanied or helped by someone in finding a way to cross the border.

“The girl has some relatives in Jalpaiguri district. We have gotten in touch with them,” the investigating officer said, adding that “We are trying to find out who helped her in crossing the border.”

“The girl is a resident of Panchagarh district in Bangladesh. She crossed the border on foot but was spotted by the BSF soldiers near the Fatehpur Border outpost in Uttar Dinajpur’s Chopra block,” the police officer said.

Speaking to news agency Press Trust of India, one of the Indian relatives of the teenage girl said “She and her family are devotees of ISKCON. Fundamentalists threatened to kidnap her and murder the rest of the family. They were planning to send her here (for her safety). She was planning to come to India, but we had no confirmation about the date.”

The relative also said that the girl’s father is a medical representative in Bangladesh and has been unwell for quite some time now.

Incidents of communal violence are on the rise across Bangladesh and people from the Hindu minority are being targeted with little-to-no action being taken by the administration. ISKCON devotees are the latest target since the arrest of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka on November 25. There have been incidents of mob violence and vandalism of property targeting the minority community. Temples have been defaced too.

Protesters from the minority community have even faced police crackdowns and lathi-charges. They were protesting the arrest of the Hindu priest, who is still in custody and is undergoing trial in a Bangladesh court.

Coming to the aid of the teenage girl who fled to India, ISKCON Kolkata Vice-President Radaramn Das has requested Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in the matter.

“It is heartbreaking and deeply distressing to learn about a minor girl from Bangladesh who, in sheer desperation, tried to cross into India alone, only to be arrested by the BSF and thrown into juvenile custody,” Mr Das said in a post on X.

It is heartbreaking and deeply distressing to learn about a minor girl from Bangladesh who, in sheer desperation, tried to cross into India alone, only to be arrested by the BSF and thrown into juvenile custody.

Her parents, both gravely ill, urged her to cross over to India… pic.twitter.com/3ZKnoA7yub

— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) December 11, 2024

“Her parents, both gravely ill, urged her to cross over to India because of the conditions in Bangladesh and their fear for her safety. They had no choice but to entrust their daughter’s life to the hope of finding refuge with their relatives in India,” he added.

“How can we, as a nation, ignore such a plea for help? How can we turn away a vulnerable child seeking safety and love? I humbly and urgently request @HMOIndia to intervene with compassion and humanity, and allow this innocent girl to live with her relatives,” Mr Das wrote.

(Inputs from PTI)
 

New Delhi:

As incidents of violence and vandalism against the minority Hindu community see a sharp upturn in Bangladesh, questions were asked in the Parliament of India out of concern for human rights violations.

Some of the questions included whether there has been an increase in the incidents of desecration and damages to Hindu temples and deities in Bangladesh, and if the Government of India has “taken up the issue” with the interim government in Bangladesh. Answers were sought over the response of the Bangladesh government and the efforts made by Dhaka to stop such incidents.

Acknowledging the attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, the junior minister of external affairs told parliamentarians that “Several incidents of desecration and damages to Hindu temples and deities in Bangladesh have been reported in the past few months. The Government of India has expressed its concerns about such incidents, including the attack on a Puja mandap in Tantibazar, Dhaka and the theft at the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira during Durga Puja 2024. The Government has also called upon the Government of Bangladesh to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities and their places of worship.”

In a response to questions by MPs, The Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh told Members of Parliament that “The primary responsibility for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens of Bangladesh, including minorities, rests with the Government of Bangladesh.”

THE THEFT AT JESHORESHWARI KALI TEMPLE

In early October, the crown of goddess Kali had been stolen from the Jeshoreshwari temple in Satkhira’s Shyamnagar. This crown was gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the temple in March, 2021.

The theft happened in broad daylight – between 2.00 pm and 2.30 pm – after temple priest Dilip Mukherjee left following the day’s worship. The cleaning staff later found that the crown was missing from the deity’s head.

The stolen crown, made of silver and gold-plated, holds significant cultural and religious importance. According to Hindu scriptures, the Jeshoreshwari Temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths scattered across India (and now neighboring countries). The name “Jeshoreshwari” means “Goddess of Jeshore.”

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.