US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has officially requested a State Department briefing on reports of increased "harassment and violence against Hindus" and other minority groups in Bangladesh after the overthrown Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was unseated.
Krishnamoorthi's office said the Congressman would prefer that he receive this briefing at the end of this month.
"You know that Hindus in Bangladesh have always faced difficulties. But the horrific incidents after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have created hysteria and new fears for their survival, he wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
There is a report from the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council that describes the incidents of communal violence against minorities, which are mostly Hindus, wherein there were more than 2,000 such incidents reported between August 4 and August 20, 2024. The incidents included, among others, nine killings, rape cases, and attacks on 69 places of worship that were either vandalized or put to fire.
"Given the alarming rise in violence against religious minorities," Krishnamoorthi wrote, "I respectfully request a briefing by October 31, 2024, on the treatment of religious minorities in Bangladesh and the State Department's efforts to promote the security and safety of religious minorities in Bangladesh, including during the Durga Puja festival, in addition to an assessment of the efforts of Bangladesh's government to combat violence against religious minorities and prevent additional attacks."
Krishnamoorthi brought to attention Blinken's previous meeting with Bangladesh's interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, and Blinken pointed at the importance of protecting minority communities in Bangladesh as an area of special significance.
One of the four Hindus in the US House of Representatives, along with Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Shri Thanedar, Krishnamoorthi has addressed Bangladesh's safety issues against Hindus earlier. "In the aftermath of Sheikh Hasina's ouster, he urged the Secretary of State to address the 'rise of coordinated anti-Hindu violence' and called for US engagement with Yunus to bring the violence to an end, and to ensure justice to the perpetrators.".
He writes in his letter: "Historically, such violence has happened too. Recalling the anti-Hindu riots in October 2021 that killed nine people, and even the riots that broke out in 2013 following the conviction of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Sayeedi for war crimes.".
Read also| Israel Confirms the Elimination of Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar
Read also| US Charges Former RAW Officer Vikash Yadav in Plot to Murder Khalistani Separatist Pannun
