A State Department official has said that the US is in touch with India and other countries in the region regarding the situation in Bangladesh and is trying to end the violence there.
“I don’t want to get into private diplomatic discussions, but we will continue to work for an end to violence, accountability, and respect for the rule of law in Bangladesh,” US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at his daily press conference on Wednesday.
He was responding to a question regarding communication between India and the US on the situation in Bangladesh following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
“We are in touch with our Indian partners as well as other countries in the region to discuss recent developments in Bangladesh,” Patel said.
They also welcomed a statement by Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, in which he called for peace and an end to the recent violence. “We welcome the new government’s focus on restoring the security and protection of members of minority communities,” Patel said.
Meanwhile, the Hindu American Foundation on Wednesday urged the White House to take action to protect the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.
“According to latest reports, the President (Joe Biden) is not commenting on the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus despite continued reports of attacks,” the foundation said.
“Demand action now! The silence of the President, Vice President and Secretary Blinken on atrocities against #BangladeshiHindus is unacceptable. Lives lost, homes and temples destroyed – yet no condemnation from our US Government,” said a post on X.
Washington-based NGO HinduAction has claimed that Hindus are being targeted the most in the rural areas of Bangladesh.
“His remoteness gives Islamists more freedom and time to target him. Now that Muhammad Yunus is the new acting leader, should the Vice President and the State Department work towards enabling education and awareness at the grassroots level, ensuring that anti-Hindu religious content is removed from the country’s madrasa curriculum and public discourse.
“We hope the president and his advisers realise that if Bangladesh loses even its remaining eight per cent Hindus, it will become a Taliban state with a canopy of trees over it,” X said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
