GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said minorities cannot be safe in a country built on the foundation of religious fundamentalism.
“Given what is happening against Hindus in Bangladesh, we all should be alert. We cannot be safe in a society whose foundation is based on religious extremism. India is the best example of secularism,” Sarma posted on X.
Talking to the media, he said, “We are saddened by the incidents in Bangladesh. Our eyes have opened up after witnessing the atrocities against Hindus in the Islamic country. Hindus were tortured in Pakistan earlier. Now, it is happening in Bangladesh.”
Stating that India is a classic example of secularism, he hoped Pakistan and Bangladesh would learn from India.
“I want to tell all those in India who rejoice the victory of Pakistan in cricket that Pakistan and Bangladesh cannot protect their minorities. These people should stop such blind support. We should secure our society,” Sarma further stated.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh staged a protest in Guwahati demanding justice for arrested Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and protection of Hindus in the neighbouring country.
Later, the protestors submitted a memorandum to the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in the city.
“It is known by all individuals in India and abroad that Hindus are facing atrocities in Bangladesh. Such atrocities have been happening for generations but the quantum increased after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime,” BJP leader Bijan Mahajan, who took part in the protest, said.
ISKCON is a Hindu religious organisation which extends social and humanitarian services across the world, he said.
In Bangladesh also, it extends its humanitarian services to the needy, irrespective of their religion. But the interim government in Bangladesh, which is hand in glove with Islamic fundamentalists, is calling ISKCON a terrorist organisation, Mahajan further stated.
He added that the happenings in Bangladesh were a scar on the society.