Two lawyers of the Supreme Court who are practising their studies yet have written to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In the appeal, they were seeking its intervention to curb the recent attacks on the minority Hindus residing in Bangladesh during the festival of Durga Puja.
Appeal to Supreme Court:
” More than 1000 Hindus have been injured and till now 10 Hindus have been reported dead. Many Hindu women were reportedly gang-raped in Bangladesh. The victims and supervisors include men, women, children, old age women and men.”
This is according to the appeal which was written in the letter to the Supreme Court. This appeal was reported by Advocates Gautam Jha and Advocate Pankaj Kumar.
Alleging that the attacks were systematic, leading to gross violation of human rights, the letter pointed out provisions under international instruments that encapsulate human rights. It stated, ” Bangladesh must uphold its human rights obligations under the ICERd, ICCPR and other international human rights law treaties in good regards and may not invoke the provisions of the international laws as justification for its failure to perform a treaty.”
The letter written to the Supreme Court stated this. The lawyers also demanded the OHCHR to look into the matter and send a fact-finding mission of the Human Rights Council to Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina requested help:
The United Nations and The United States of America, and India have condemned incidents of majoritarian violence against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh during the festival of Durga Puja. According to the Government, what is wrong with this incident is that at least ten people are reportedly dead, and more than 1000 people were reported to be injured.
Moreover, the fake news reports which went viral on social media indicates a conspiracy to instigate the violence. The mob violence appears to have begun in Comilla, located in the Chittagong district in Bangladesh. There, an image that was showing disrespect to the Koran was circulated. This resulted in several major mob attacks on the Hindu temples and on the houses of the Hindu people, as they belong to the minority community in Bangladesh.
The Narendra Modi government, which has sought to preserve good terms with Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina government, has also praised the authorities for moving quickly to take control of the situation. According to the police, more than 500 people have been arrested during the last week of violence. Moreover, more than 70 cases were filed in different parts of Bangladesh
Violence in Bangladesh:
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has already told to take strict action and sought to reassure minorities during an address via videoconference to the Hindu people. In a message for the Indians, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, also said that the big neighbours of Bangladesh must be sensitive to this situation and alluding to the violence against the minorities in India.
Sheikh Hasina said that “nothing is done there in India that affects our country Bangladesh.” The Indian High Commission in Dhaka, which was in touch with law and order officials at the Centre, also stepped in to meet with the members of the Bangladesh Hindu community—narrating the seriousness of the attacks and the fear that has gripped the Hindus minority in Bangladesh, the national and international concern of India and the other countries. NewDelhi has to act cautiously in light of all the various links between India and Bangladesh.
While the Indian High Commissioner’s act of meeting local minorities comes from a sense of compassion, it could be read as an act of interference. India is concerned about the plight of the communities.
