HUNDREDS of protesters rallied near the Bangladesh diplomatic mission in the Indian capital on Tuesday, pressing for an end to reported attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh.
The protests in Delhi come after Bangladesh’s former premier Sheikh Hasina fled into exile in India in August.
The protesters demanded an intervention by the United Nations, carrying banners and placards that criticised it for not doing more to address the problems in Bangladesh.
They also rejected claims by interim government officials in Bangladesh that the targeting of minorities was an internal matter.
“It’s a very serious attack, a very sustained attack on the lives of the \[Hindu\] minority,” said Veena Sikri, a former Indian ambassador to Bangladesh. Attacks on the livelihoods, homes and businesses of minorities in Bangladesh must stop, she said.
Scores of social and cultural organisations joined the protest in New Delhi a day after top Foreign Ministry officials from the two countries, Vikram Misri and Mohammad Jashim Uddin, met in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, to discuss their strained relations.
It was the first high-level visit to Bangladesh by an Indian official since massive protests ended Hasina’s 15-year rule.
Following the ousting of Ms Hasina, minorities — and particularly Hindus — have reported widespread attacks in the Muslim-majority nation of Bangladesh, but Dhaka says the reports are exaggerated.