Mamata seeks deployment of UN peacekeepers in Bangladesh, says Modi must intervene

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today (2 December) called for a United Nations peacekeeping force to be deployed in Bangladesh and demanded Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal intervention to secure the safety of religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Mamata Banerjee made the demands against the backdrop of three Hindu priests - from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) – being arrested, reports NDTV.

"We have families... properties... and loved ones in Bangladesh. We accept whatever stance the Government of India takes on this...but we condemn atrocities on religious grounds anywhere in the world and appeal to the union government, and the Prime Minister, to intervene," she said.

Addressing the Bengal Assembly, Banerjee said she had spoken to the chief of the Iskcon's Kolkata unit to extend her sympathies and support, and stressed, "If Indians are attacked in Bangladesh, then we cannot tolerate it. We can bring back our people... Government of India can take this matter up with the United Nations... so a peacekeeping force can be sent."

She also said she was not seeking to interfere with the internal affairs of another country, but pointed out that when Bangladeshi fishermen had mistakenly entered Indian waters, or when a Bangladeshi trawler had capsized, her government had "rescued them and treated them (well)".

Indian PM Narendra Modi last week met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss this issue, after which the latter called on Bangladesh's temporary government to protect religious minorities. The Indian government also expressed serious concern over a surge of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus, as well as attacks on temples, in that country, reports NDTV.

After he met with the prime minister, Jaishankar also briefed Parliament, saying the Indian government had taken a serious view of the violence against minorities in Bangladesh.

"Primary responsibility for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens of Bangladesh, including minorities, rests with the Government of Bangladesh," he said, adding the Indian High Commission in Dhaka is monitoring the situation related to minorities there "closely".

The Yunus government has reaffirmed "in the strongest terms" that every Bangladeshi, regardless of their religious identity, has the "right to establish, maintain or perform respective religious rituals and practices or express views without hindrance."

Two Iskcon priests were arrested by Bangladesh Saturday, according to the religious group's Kolkata unit spokesperson Radharamn Das, NDTV reported. This, he claimed, was in addition to the arrest of two devotees and a third, the secretary of one of the arrested priests, going missing.

The Iskcon row kicked off with the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari last week.