Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Sunday he has been instructed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina not to take any hasty steps against Priya Saha for her remarks during a meeting with US President Donald Trump, report agencies.
"The Prime Minister sent me a message yesterday. It said no hurried action should be taken against Priya Saha," the minister told reporters after attending the licence handover ceremony of MRT Line 6 at Bangabandhu International Convention Centre.
"Her (Priya's) motive should be investigated," Quader said adding, "She should make a public statement."
"The reasons for making such allegations should be investigated. I think, she should be given a chance to defend herself when she returns home,"
Quader also said there is no obstruction to Priya Saha's return to Bangladesh.
"The government will hear what she has to say first and then it'll take necessary action," he said.
"To us, it (her statement) seemed intentional. She'll be inquired about her motives behind that statement," he added.
Priya Saha, an activist who works for minority rights, has stood by her remarks on the alleged persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House.
In a YouTube video posted by her rights organisation SHAREE on Sunday, Saha, referring to a study by Dhaka University teacher Abul Barkat said, 632 people disappear from Bangladesh every day.
Saha said she had worked with Prof Barkat on the study and "that's how I'm aware of this."
She also commented on her most controversial claim that 37 million people of minority groups have disappeared from Bangladesh.
Saha, an organising secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, attended a meeting at the White House in Washington on July 17.
After identifying herself as a Bangladeshi national, she was seen urging Trump to help the minority groups live in Bangladesh.
The Hindus now account for 9.7 per cent of the total population, compared to 29.7 per cent during the 1947 Partition.
