External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on Thursday to brief him on the ongoing violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, sources revealed.
Jaishankar, who had just returned from Italy, also updated the Prime Minister on the outcome of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting he attended from November 24 to 26. During his time in Italy, Jaishankar held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other foreign ministers, including those from the UK, France, and Ukraine.
The meeting with PM Modi comes at a critical time as violence against Hindus in Bangladesh has been escalating. The Hindu minority community, which makes up about 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million people, has faced more than 200 attacks since August 5, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government fell.
This week, the violence flared up after the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari at Dhaka Airport on Monday. He was arrested on sedition charges after allegedly disrespecting the national flag during a rally in October. The arrest sparked widespread protests in Dhaka and Chittagong, where his supporters clashed with security forces.
During these protests, a Muslim lawyer was tragically killed, and six suspects were arrested after being identified through CCTV footage. Additionally, at least 30 individuals, including Awami League party members, have been detained for vandalism and assaulting police officers.
In response to the growing unrest, the Bangladesh government filed a writ petition on Wednesday, calling for a ban on ISKCON, labeling it a religious fundamentalist organization.
The situation in Bangladesh remains tense, and the international community, including India, is closely monitoring the developments.
