The protest led by the Hindu community against the killing of a Hindu man in a communally charged environment in Bangladesh was disrupted by the Khalistani miscreants outside the Bangladesh High Commission in London.Indian and Bangladeshi Hindus were outside the Bangladesh High Commission in London on Saturday when a handful of Khalistanis showed up outside in support of Bangladesh.Shattered by horrific lynchings of Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mondal, trapped and persecuted Hindus in Bangladesh are sending out an SOS to India to open the borders to escape Islamist mob fury. The fears were accentuated on Thursday by the groundswell of support to Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman, who’s considered a hardliner.VIDEO TOI reached out to a cross-section of Hindus residing in Rangpur, Chittagong, Dhaka and Mymensingh and spoke to them on Whatsapp call with the help of exiled Bangladesh Sanatan Jagran Macha leader, Nihar Haldar, accused of sedition along with former ISKCON monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das.The ripples could be felt in refugee pockets of Gadchiroli, Chandrapur in Maharashtra and Pakhanjur in Chhattisgarh, where Hindu immigrants from erstwhile East Pakistan were settled. Dr Subodh Biswas, president of Nikhil Bangla Samanbay Samiti, an organisation of former East Pakistan refugees, says, “Why don’t Hindu organisations get proactive? India is the only country where Hindus of Bangladesh can bank upon during a crisis. More Hindus will be killed, but borders remain shut. We plan to stage protests at the border.”“There are 2.5 crore Hindus in Bangladesh. It’s not a small number. Hindu organisations in India are doing nothing more than lip service. We are staring at a holocaust,” said a Sanatan Jagran Macha activist requesting anonymity. It’s not that there will be Hindu exodus after borders open, but we will be at least insulated from violence, said a resident of Mymensingh. “We are living the worst nightmare. Opening the Indian borders will at least create an escape route for those facing persecution,” said a Hindu from Dhaka. Many lead a hand-to-mouth existence in Bangladesh, including those like Dipu Chandra Das’ family.The acrimonious exchanges between India and Bangladesh in the past few weeks came to a head on Friday with India slamming Dhaka for “unremitting hostility” against minorities – including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists – in the country at the hands of extremists.Calling it a matter of grave concern, ministry of external affairs (MEA) condemned the recent killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh and stressed that the perpetrators of the crime must be brought to justice.Asked about the return of BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman to Dhaka after 17 years, the Indian govt only said it should be seen in the context of India’s call for efforts to ensure free, fair and inclusive parliamentary polls in Bangladesh.
