India forms body to monitor border situation
Saturday, 10 August 2024
In response to the ongoing situation in Bangladesh, the Indian government has constituted a committee to monitor the current conditions along the Indo-Bangladesh border, reports bdnews24.com.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah announced the committee in a post on X on Friday afternoon.
The committee will maintain communication channels with their counterpart authorities in Bangladesh to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals, Hindus, and other minority communities living there, Shah said.
The committee will be headed by the additional director general of Indian Border Security Force's Eastern Command, he added.
The announcement came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his Bharatiya Janata Party-led government wants protection of the Hindus in Bangladesh.
In an X post on Thursday amid reports of attacks on Hindus in parts of Bangladesh in the wake of the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and her departure to India, Modi congratulated Muhammad Yunus on the Nobel laureate becoming the chief advisor to the newly formed interim government of Bangladesh.
"We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities," Modi said.
Protests erupted in Dhaka on Friday against the attacks on Hindu families, homes, temples and businesses.
In an open letter to Yunus, the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council demanded immediate steps to stop violence against religious minorities.
Thousands of Hindu families have faced devastation because of communal violence across 52 districts since Aug 5, according to the letter.
"While the people's victory is advancing towards its ultimate goal, it is with great sorrow and pain that we observe a particular group spreading unparalleled violence against minorities, attempting to tarnish this achievement," the council said.