Priya Saha must prove ‘allegations’: home minister

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan today said Priya Saha must prove her ‘allegations’ made to US President Donald Trump, otherwise stern actions will be taken against her.

“She (Priya Saha) will have to prove the allegations she made to the US President, otherwise stern actions would be taken against her for the baseless, false and fabricated complaints,” he told journalists at his official Dhanmondi residence here.

“If she fails to prove the allegations, she will have to face legal action,” the minister ‍said.

About Priya Saha’s allegations that the minority community is “enduring repression,” the home minister said: “I didn’t see any such kind of incident over the last five and a half years.”

“I don’t have any idea about it, where such kind of incident took place and who was victimized …… I don’t know why she gave such false statements to the US President?,” he questioned.

Priya Saha, a Bangladeshi national, participated in the Second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom held at the US Department of State in Washington DC on July 16-18.

Delegates from 106 countries, including about 40 Foreign Ministers, took part in the meeting at the invitation of Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State.

Priya Saha, one of the organising secretaries of Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad, was seen telling US President Donald Trump, among other things, that 37 million Hindu, Buddhist and Christian people have been disappeared from Bangladesh.

She also told President Trump that her land has been grabbed by Muslim fundamentalists and sought his help so that Hindu, Buddhist and Christian people can live in Bangladesh.

Replying to a query, the home minister said Priya Saha has to prove it, which she made allegations and where the incident took place, whose house was burnt, we have not done a proper investigation.

“I think there must be a reason behind such false statements. She may have a purpose. We must ask her- when and how it had happened. Of course, she will give an answer accordingly,” he said.

The minister said that you (journalists) must have seen the statement of Advocate Rana Das Gupta, adding, “I have seen it. I also saw the statement of the US ambassador.”

Describing present situation, he said, “Before the last caretaker government, the percentage of Hindu community in Bangladesh was eight plus (more than 8 percent) and now it rose to ten percent.

If such incidents took place there and the government and people must have known.”