Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar has urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to halt the “coordinated attacks” against Hindus in Bangladesh and requested that the US government grant temporary protected status to the persecuted members of this minority community.
According to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, minority communities in Bangladesh have suffered at least 205 attacks across 52 districts since the downfall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5.
In a letter dated August 9, Thanedar, representing Michigan, expressed that his opposition to the atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh is shared by many in the international community, including individuals from his district. He emphasized that with Muhammad Yunus assuming the role of interim Prime Minister, the US should support the new government in ending the violence and civil unrest.
Thanedar implored the Biden administration to provide temporary refuge to the affected Hindus and other religious minorities. Following Hasina’s departure, numerous Hindu temples, homes, and businesses were destroyed, women were attacked, and at least two Hindu leaders associated with her Awami League party were murdered, as reported by Dhaka’s community leaders.
Thanedar also called for congressional hearings upon return from recess to investigate the protection failures for Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh and to devise strategies to prevent such atrocities in the future. He encouraged Blinken to collaborate closely with Yunus and his administration.
Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel laureate, was inaugurated on Thursday as the leader of Bangladesh’s interim government. Thanedar emphasized Yunus’s call to cease the violence and his readiness to reconstruct the nation. “At this pivotal moment for Bangladesh, we must lend our full support to their endeavours to halt the violent acts and rhetoric aimed at Hindus,” stated the Indian-American legislator.
Last year, Thanedar established the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain American Congressional Caucus to amplify the voices of Hindus and other religious minorities in the US and globally. Bangladesh’s history of political violence dates back to its founding in 1971, with numerous coups and changes in leadership, he noted.
The targeting of the Hindu minority, which comprises only 8% of Bangladesh’s population, is not unprecedented, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination and violence, added the Congressman.
