On Monday, two British MPs, Barry Gardiner and Priti Patel, called out the violence against the Bangladeshi Hindus in the UK Parliament. The Labour MP from Brent West, Gardiner asked the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Catherine West to issue a statement on the current persecution and attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh.
In response, West stated that the UK was given assurance by Bangladesh’s interim government that the government would do all possible support to the minorities of the country. “At the meeting with Chief Adviser Yunus, I discussed the full range of bilateral issues, including the importance of protecting religious minorities in Bangladesh. The UK Government supports freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression in Bangladesh through both our political advocacy and development programme funding,” said West.
Further, she added, “The UK Government will continue to monitor the situation, including making representations from this House, and will engage with the interim Government in Bangladesh on the importance of freedom of religion or belief specifically as it affects the Hindu community.”
Gardiner later pointed out the number of violent incidents targeting the Hindu community, which is very concerning. He mentioned that 2000 violent incidents have taken place and extremist groups, including the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, have attacked temples and worshippers, with authorities accused of inaction. He also called for urgent action to restore law and order and release the Chinmoy Krishna Das.
“The situation is clearly on a knife edge. With such large diaspora populations in the UK and large Hindu communities with strong links to the community in Bangladesh, I ask my honourable Friend what more she can do to have discussions with the Bangladeshi Government and other partners in the region to ensure that tensions are lowered, the rule of law put into effect, and calm and order restored,” said Gardiner.
Today I asked an Urgent Question to the Foreign Minister about violence targeted against the Hindu Community in Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/DfTMmWY1I5
— Barry Gardiner MP (@BarryGardiner) December 2, 2024
Priti Patel, a Conservative MP from Witham, also highlighted the subject in parliament, asking the government how it is working with the Bangladeshi government on the issue. “She (Catherine West) is correct in pointing up that, as the Hon. Member for Brent West stated, the level of escalation in the violence is “deeply, deeply concerning.” What we are experiencing now is unbridled violence in many quarters. “We are watching with horror and shock as more violence spreads in Bangladesh,” added Patel.
I am deeply concerned by the awful violence we have seen in Bangladesh, and my thoughts are with those affected.
In Parliament this afternoon, I called on the Government to set out how they are engaging with the Bangladeshi Government on this pressing and important issue.… pic.twitter.com/jRXciBQIKH
— Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) December 2, 2024
However, the recent attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, an ISCKON priest, tell a totally different story. The situation in Bangladesh has degraded and become unlivable for the Hindus in the last few months. Except for a few media houses and politicians from the West, none have shown much concern about the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh since the ‘so-called Revolution’. These recent voices in the UK parliament may open the eyes of the Western Media establishment, and they will understand the sensitivity of the ongoing violence and persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh.