NEW DELHI: Tripura chief minister Manik Saha on Sunday raised concerns over the state’s shared border with Bangladesh, pointing out that terrorists jailed during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure as Prime Minister are now free.
“The terrorists who were jailed during the Sheikh Hasina government are free now. Where are they now? We are concerned regarding their whereabouts. Especially when Tripura shares its borders with Bangladesh it’s a concerning matter. They have to check where these terrorists are now and what their activity is. This is not how it should be, fundamentalists doesn’t mean that you will do whatever you feel like. I want to say that the current government there has to take care of the minorities,” he told news agency ANI.
CM Saha expressed his disapproval of the current Bangladeshi administration, adding that the present circumstances in the country are not good and that “nothing should be forced on anyone.”
“The situation in Bangladesh is not good. How is the government functioning there? The news that we’re receiving, seeing on social media these days regarding the violence against the minorities is not right at all. Atrocities are being committed against minorities in Bangladesh. Nothing should be forced on anyone,” he said.
The chief minister remarked that the “Indian government is monitoring the situation. Ultimately Bangladesh’s existence without India is not possible. So they also have to think about this. How their GDP spiked up earlier and how its coming down. This isn’t how a country should be run, right?,” he said.
The rise in attacks coincides with growing political instability in Bangladesh following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Mob violence targeting Hindu temples
Earlier, on Friday a mob attacked three Hindu temples in Bangladesh’s Chattogram, where protests and violence erupted after sedition charges were filed against a former Iskcon member. The incident occurred in the port city’s Harish Chandra Munsef Lane, targeting the Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, Shani Temple, and Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple.
Similar incidents of mob violence targeting Hindu temples and religious sites have intensified in recent months, drawing widespread condemnation from human rights organisations and neighbour India.
ISKCON priests arrested
The situation further escalated with the arrest of Hindu ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, a prominent advocate for minority rights.
Das, who serves as the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka airport while preparing to board a flight to Chattogram.
Earlier on Saturday, Two Iskcon priests who were associates of Chinmoy Krishna Das were arrested in Bangladesh, Iskcon Kolkata vice president Radharamn Das said.
Sharing a post on X, Radharamn Das said, “In the meantime, bad news has come: two devotees who went with prasad for Chinmaya Prabhu were arrested on their way back to the temple, and Chinmaya prabhu’s secretary is also missing. Please pray for them.”
Freezing of the bank accounts
The financial intelligence unit of Bangladesh has ordered a 30-day freeze on bank accounts belonging to 17 people purportedly linked to Iskcon Bangladesh. Among those affected is Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, who is currently in custody.
MEA on Bangladesh unrest
The situation has drawn global scrutiny, particularly from India, where the ministry of external affairs has voiced its apprehension regarding the wellbeing of Hindu and other minority communities in Bangladesh.
“India has consistently and strongly raised with Bangladesh government threats, targeted attacks on Hindus and other minorities. The opposition on the matter is very clear, the interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.
“These developments cannot be dismissed only as media exaggeration. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take all steps to protect all minorities,” he added.
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