Amid the rising atrocities against minorities especially Hindus in Bangladesh , the UK MPs Preeti Patel and Barry Gardiner condemned the violence in the South Asian country, stating that “the situation is clearly on a knife edge.” On Monday while speaking in the UK Parliament, Labour MP Barry Gardiner, representing Brent West, asked the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs to make a statement on the situation in Bangladesh and the recent attacks on the Hindu community.
In response, Catherine West, the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, assured the parliament that the interim government of Bangladesh had promised support for minority communities in the country. West said, “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 support freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression in Bangladesh through both our political advocacy and development programme funding”.
West continued to address the situation concerning Hindus in Bangladesh, saying: “Regarding the Hindu community specifically, I was assured by the interim government of Bangladesh that support would be available for minority communities ahead of Durga Puja, a major national festival. We were pleased to see the establishment of a special policing unit to protect mandaps—the Hindu places of worship—which I am sure my hon. Friend is aware of.”
Speaking at the parliament, Gardiner also raised concerns about the arrest of Hindu leader and former ISKCON priest Prabhu Chinmoy Krishna Das. He said, “A leading Hindu monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been arrested. ISKCON is a worldwide branch of modern Hinduism with its UK headquarters at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Bushey, many of whose worshippers live in my constituency of Brent West and the surrounding areas of north-west London.”
He added, “People are concerned that while he was engaged in exclusively peaceful protest, he has been denied due process, charged with sedition and refused bail, yet none of the individuals who attacked the temples has been apprehended or charged,” he added.
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