This comes after the turmoil in the country after Sheikh Hasina fled to India and reports emerged of temples, homes and businesses of Hindus being attacked as well as those of murders by extremist elements
Toronto: Community organisations in Canada have expressed alarm and sought action from Ottawa after reports of atrocities against the Hindu minority in the country following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina from the Prime Ministership and an interim government assuming charge in Dhaka.
People gather around the residence of Bangladeshi prime minister in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday. (PTI)
In a post, the Coalition of Hindus of North America of CoHNA’s Canadian chapter said, “The Hindu population in Bangladesh is currently facing extreme vulnerability and fighting for their survival.”
This came after the turmoil in the country after Hasina fled to India and reports emerged of temples, homes and businesses of Hindus being attacked as well as those of murders by extremist elements.
CoHNA has started a campaign on Tuesday calling upon concerned Canadians to write to their elected representatives seeking a public statement condemning the violence and the human rights violations against the minority Hindus of Bangladesh. It urged Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly, and the Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, “to proactively monitor the situation, especially for targeting of people based on religion and gender”. It asked the Canadian government to “ensure the Bangladeshi authorities protect their Hindu citizens and hold the perpetrators of the violence accountable”. It urged Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to “facilitate the faster resettlement of the most vulnerable among the Bangladeshi Hindus under the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP).
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) endorsed the CoHNA action alert so as “to bring this crisis to the attention of Canada’s elected officials”.
“CIJA shares the concerns of Canada’s Bengali and Hindu communities, who are watching in horror as large-scale violence has broken out in the past few days targeting Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Religious minorities in Bangladesh are being targeted in violent attacks. Dozens of Bangladeshi Hindus have been killed, several temples destroyed, homes and businesses of Hindus systematically vandalised, set on fire,” it added.
Meanwhile, the advocacy group, Bangladeshi Canadian Hindus is planning a vigil for the victims of the violence as well as a protest in Toronto later this week.
The Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) said it was “deeply concerned about the escalating situation and its impact on the Hindu community in Bangladesh”.
“We urge the international community to monitor the situation closely and to advocate for the protection of vulnerable populations in Bangladesh,” CHCC said in a release.
On Monday, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly called for “a quick and peaceful return to a democratic and inclusive civilian-led government in Bangladesh.”
