Daijiworld Media Network - Paris

Paris, Jan 6: Immigrant Bangladeshi Hindus and Buddhists staged a protest demonstration at the historic Republic Square here, condemning what they described as growing persecution of religious minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh.

The protest was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council, Paris, and the Bureau of Human Rights and Justice (BHRJ). Participants demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible for the brutal murder of Hindu man Dipu Chandra Das, who was allegedly killed on false charges of blasphemy.

The demonstrators also condemned the recent killings of Khokon Das and Amrito Mandal, both Hindus, and demanded the unconditional release of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishnadas Prabhu.

Addressing the gathering, speakers alleged that a deep-rooted conspiracy was underway to make Bangladesh a Hindu-free country. They claimed that following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, at least 169 Hindu teachers from schools, colleges and universities had either been forced to resign or dismissed from service.

Quoting alarming figures, the BHRJ said in a statement that at least 187 Hindus were killed over the past year, 221 Hindu women were raped, and thousands of Hindu homes and businesses were attacked, vandalised or set ablaze. It further alleged that attacks on Hindus on charges of blasphemy and the occupation of Hindu monasteries and temples had become routine in Bangladesh.

BHRJ president Dipan Mitra alleged that a systematic process to wipe out a population on the basis of its minority religious identity was underway in Bangladesh, and asserted that the international community could not remain silent.

The protesters demanded justice for persecuted Hindus and an immediate end to all forms of atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.