Bangladeshi Hindu students will hold a large protest in Dhaka on Friday against the alleged desecration of a Lord Ram statue. They gave a 72-hour ultimatum to the government, warning of wider protests if no action is taken.
Bangladeshi Hindu students will hold a large protest on Friday against the alleged disrespect shown to the Hindu God Lord Ram. The students alleged that recently, a violent mob desecrated the statue of Lord Ram by placing a shoe on it, which is an insult and an affront to the Hindu religion. In protest on Tuesday, they held a torchlight procession at Dhaka University and gave the government a 72-hour ultimatum to take action, warning that after that deadline passes, this protest will be held on Friday afternoon at Shahbagh intersection in the capital, Dhaka.
Students Mobilize, Issue Ultimatum
"Our worshipped God, Lord Ram, has been insulted. It is a matter of deep pain", Novelty Roy Uday, Convener, Bangladesh Student Unity Council, Dhaka Metropolitan South, Part of Bangladesh Hindu Buddist Christan Unity Council, told ANI. "Whatever happens in Bangladesh, if it continues over the next 10 years, I'm afraid the Hindu community will vanish", he added.
Gaibandha Incident Fuels Anger
In another development, the construction of an 81-foot Lord Ram statue in Bangladesh has been paused after threats from radical Islamist groups. The move has triggered protests. "During the construction of a statue of Ram in Palashbari, in Gaibandha district in northern Bangladesh, a violent mob delivered hate speech", Sushmita Kar, spokesperson and student representative, Minority Rights Movement, told ANI.
"Unfortunately, they carried out this act of insult against our religion", she added. "We gave a 72-hour ultimatum on this matter, but we have not yet received any response from the government. We will hold a larger protest on Friday afternoon", Kar said.
Movement Spreads from Universities
Regarding the incident in Gaibandha, blocking the construction of the Ram statue and protesting against the insult to Ram, the first protest was held by Hindu students at Jagannath University. After that, it spread to other universities as well. "We started our protest at Jagannath University first. Then, it became a mass revolution", Arghya Shreshtho Das, President, Bangladesh Student Unity Council, Jagannath University, part of Bangladesh Hindu Buddist Christan Unity Council, told ANI. He emphasised that the protests are not only about religious sentiments but also about "our independence, our dignity, and our religious sympathies."
Wider Community Plans Protests
Before the large student protest on Friday afternoon, on the same day, in the morning, Hindu Mohajote, a Hindu group, will form a human chain in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka to protest against the Gaibandha incident. The Friday protest at Shahbagh is expected to be part of a broader wave of dissent. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council is also organising a protest on the upcoming Saturday in response to the same incident.
Meanwhile, a press conference will be organised on Friday at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity, Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium (Segunbagicha) by the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance, a Hindu right group. The press conference will address the demands of the minority community and voice protests against the nationwide widespread persecution, murder, rape, arrests under false cases, termination from employment under false pretexts, vandalism of temples and idols, obstacles in constructing temples and idols, and defamation of religion targeting religious minority communities, while seeking a permanent solution to these minority issues. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)