'Deeply Concerned Till Order Is Restored': Jaishankar On Situation Of Minorities In Bangladesh
Amid the protests in Bangladesh, religious places, business establishments and houses of Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities have also been rampaged in Bangladesh.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India is monitoring the situation with regard to minorities in Bangladesh and is in close and continuous touch with the Indian community there through its diplomatic missions.
Jaishankar, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha on the ongoing situation in Bangladesh, said, "We are also monitoring the situation with regard to the status of minorities. There are reports of initiatives by various groups and organisations to ensure their protection and well being."
The External Affairs Minister briefed the MPs on former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's very short notice request to come to India for the moment.
He also said the government will remain concerned till the law and order is restored. He said India has instructed its border guarding forces to be exceptionally alert in view of this complex and still evolving situation in the neighbouring country.
"We will naturally remain deeply concerned till law and order is visibly restored. Our border guarding forces have also been instructed to be exceptionally alert in view of this complex situation," Jaishankar added.
After violent protests on August 5, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday and requested approval to come to India at a very short notice.
Amid the protests in Bangladesh, religious places, business establishments and houses of Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities have also been rampaged in Bangladesh.
As per local reports, houses and business establishments of Hindus were attacked by mobs and their valuables were also looted in at least 27 districts on Monday.
Four Hindu temples suffered minor damage across the country, eyewitnesses and a community leader said.
An ISKCON temple in Meherpur, located in Bangladesh's Khulna division, and a Kali temple were vandalised and set on fire.
"One of our ISKCON centres (rented) in Meherpur was burnt, including the deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladev, and Subhadra Devi. Three devotees who lived in the centre somehow managed to escape and survive," ISKCON spokesperson Yudhistir Govinda Das said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in the city’s Dhanmondi area and the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum - dedicated to Mujibur Rahman - were also vandalised.
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