Communal attack: Iskcon asks Modi to raise matter with PM Hasina

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) wrote to PM Narendra Modi saying that attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh have become a "regular affair" and the community will live in fear unless the Sheikh Hasina government took strong action against the guilty.

Yudhistir Govinda Das, on behalf of Iskon wrote the letter on Saturaday, reports The Times of India.

"On Friday, a mob of over 200 people attacked the Iskcon temple and community in Noakhali. This is not the first attack on an Iskcon temple there. This has happened several times over the years. These attacks on Hindus have been a regular affair. Unless strong action is taken by the Bangladeshi government against the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, the Hindu community, which believes in peacefully coexisting with all other faiths, continues to live in fear and despair. The Bangladesh government should also provide roundthe-clock security to the Hindu temples to ensure their safety," he wrote.

So far, India has been cautious in its pronouncements, stating that the Bangladeshi government has been quick to act against criminals.

But as some of the worst violence against Hindus broke out across Bangladesh this week, the Modi government is caught between a rock and a hard place — the attacks on Hindus calls for a tough stance, but on the other hand, Bangladesh is a close strategic partner.

Hindus across Bangladesh took out protest marches in several towns on Saturday, even as Hasina promised exemplary punishment to the perpetrators.

The violent attacks on Durga Puja pandals first started in Cumilla, then spread to a dozen of districts. According to sources in Bangladesh, police was called in, but there was a delayed response.

The worst affected were temples and puja pandals in Chandpur and Noakhali. Officially, the violence has claimed about six lives, including many in police firing, and over 100 injured.

Until Sunday, nearly 46 cases were filed in several districts accusing at least 50,000 people over the spate of communal clashes in several districts.

Bangladesh government has blamed Islamic Shibir, a Jamaat-BNP outfit, for starting the violence by allegedly carrying out a blasphemous act perceived as insulting to the country's Muslim majority at one of the Durga Puja pavilions in Cumilla.

Moreover, Joynal Abedin and four others belonging to Shibir were apparently arrested on Saturday.

The Indian mission, said Indian government sources, has been working with the committees of over 60 pujas across Bangladesh to calm the situation.