An 'urgent' issue was tabled today in the House of Commons in UK's parliament over the worrisome situation in Bangladesh. Members of Parliament raised concern over the recent attacks on the Hindu minority in the south Asian nation and also discussed the religious crackdown on Hindu monks by the interim government in the country.
Labour Party MP Barry Gardiner, had on Monday, asked for an urgent session in the British parliament to discuss the situation in Bangladesh which London has been monitoring closely.
Informing the House about initiatives taken by Britain so far, the foreign office in-charge for the Indo-Pacific region, Catherine West said she had visited Bangladesh last month and held meetings with the leadership of the interim government in the country. She said that UK was among the first countries to take up the issue with Dhaka and was given verbal assurances by Bangladesh's chief adviser Mohamed Yunus.
Ms West also mentioned concerns raised by New Delhi over the happenings in Bangladesh. "We are aware of the statement of concern from the Indian government following the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a well-known Hindu leader, on sedition charges. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) desk is closely monitoring those developments," said Ms West.
She went on to say that "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."
Conservative MP Priti Patel, who is the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs called the situation in Bangladesh "deeply, deeply concerning".
Referring to the surge in incidents of violence, vandalism, and desecration targeting Hindu minorities, Ms Patel said, "The degree of escalation in violence is deeply concerning. What we are witnessing now is uncontrolled violence in many quarters. We are watching with horror and shock as further violence spreads in Bangladesh. The thoughts of all of us in the House are with the diaspora community here and those affected in Bangladesh. These are deeply disturbing reports."
She went on to ask the British government to delve into what is being done about the release of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, who has been arrested in Bangladesh. "We have a religions
leader who has now been arrested. We need to know effectively what is being done to secure his release, due process in particular. But at the same time, can the Minister give details of the government's engagement with Bangladesh on this particular matter. What discussions have taken place so far, and have we been robust in pursuing the right to protect life, the prevention of violence, and persecution, and importantly, tolerance for religious belief."
Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent West in London, which has a large British Hindu population, described the situation as being "clearly on a knife edge".
Another MP, Bob Blackman, who is the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus, said "Hindus are suffering with their houses being burned and their businesses ransacked. Priests have been arrested, and I understand that two more were arrested over the weekend, and 63 monks have been denied access to the country. The clear issue is an attempt at the ethnic cleansing of Hindus from Bangladesh. We want to hear not just words of piety, but absolute condemnation of what is going on. Religious minorities are being deliberately persecuted because of their religion."
Since Sheikh Hasina was forced to step down as prime minister, the new military-backed interim administration, led by Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus, has faced criticism for failing to control violence against minorities. This includes instances of vandalism and desecration at temples, damage of Hindu businesses and properties, and homes of Hindus being attacked.
