In response to the violence aimed at the Hindu community in Bangladesh during the Durga Puja holiday back in October, a multi-faith coalition of over 100 global organisations and community leaders has signed a letter addressed to the Bangladeshi embassy in Washington DC.
The letter, delivered by the Hindu American Foundation, calls for the Bangladeshi government to stop acts of violence against Hindus in the country.
Among the many global organisations to have put their name to the letter is the Hindu Council UK, with Anil Bhanot OBE [pictured] signing the letter on behalf of the council alongside Rajnish Kashyap, the Hindu Council UK General Secretary and Place of Workship Taskforce member and advisor for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Bhanot is a director and one of the founding members of the Hindu Council UK and has previously served two terms as its General Secretary. He is also the founder of West London accountancy practice, Bhanot and Co, based in Ealing, and Chair and Managing Director of The Peepul Enterprise in Leicester, a social enterprise which provided a meal service to struggling families during the Covid-19 lockdown and offered part of its facilities to be used as a vaccination centre.
After signing the letter, Bhanot commented: “It is important that we stand up for the people of Bangladesh by signing on to the Hindu American Foundation’s coalition letter to the Bangladeshi government.
“We are proud to be among more than 100 organisations appealing to the government of Bangladesh for peace, tolerance, understanding, the upholding of human rights, and pluralism.”
Addressed to Ambassador Shahidul Islam and marked for the attention of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the coalition letter urges the government of Bangladesh to “invest in international human rights norms regarding protection of religious communities within its borders,” as “the targeted killings, assault, rape, arson of homes, desecration of sacred images and temples, and other forms of physical attack are human rights violations as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
The letter specifically asks the government of Bangladesh to increase police presence in areas inhabited by minority communities to prevent mob violence; assure that the cases of anti-minority violence are properly investigated by law enforcement; strengthen the Bangladeshi National Human Rights Commission; and form the Minority Rights Commission which has previously been promised by the country’s Awami League ruling party but is yet to materialise.
The Hindu American Foundation’s Human Rights Director, Deepali Kulkarni, adds: “This recent torrent of violence is not unusual in Bangladesh where Hindus and other minority communities face physical attacks on a daily basis.
“If the Bangladeshi government is serious about taking action, they would not just arrest some who incited violence, but take decisive action to provide restitution to Hindus to rebuild their homes and temples.”
The full coalition letter can be found here.
Image provided by Bhanot & Co
