A significant protest march was held in Varanasi on Saturday to express solidarity with the Hindu community in Bangladesh and to highlight the ongoing violence against them on a global platform. The demonstration was organized jointly by the Vishal Bharat Sansthan and the Muslim Mahila Foundation.
March Route and Symbolic Protest
The participants gathered and walked from Subhash Bhavan to Premchand Smriti Dwar in the Lamahi area. The march culminated in a strong symbolic act where an effigy of Bangladesh's acting Prime Minister, Mohammad Yunus, was set on fire. Protesters raised slogans condemning the violence and the Bangladeshi administration.
They voiced strong criticism against the Bangladeshi government, labeling it as ungrateful towards India, the nation that played a pivotal role in its independence. The protesters argued that helping Bangladesh in any form is unwise, accusing it of biting the hand that feeds it.
Voices from the Protest
The speakers at the event were unequivocal in their condemnation. They described Mohammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, as a puppet of Pakistan and a criminal against humanity. They alleged that the interim government under his caretakership has allowed the country to fall into the hands of extremists.
Najma Parveen, while setting the effigy ablaze, declared that a front has now been opened against religious fanatics and extremist mullahs. She urged Muslims to confront these elements directly. "Now the time has come for Muslims to grab these extremist mullahs by their collars and drive them out from our holy land," she stated. She called upon the Indian government to take military action against extremist forces in Bangladesh and to cut off all trade and diplomatic relations.
Rajiv Shriguruji, the National President of Vishal Bharat Sansthan, echoed the sentiment, calling for Yunus's Nobel Prize to be revoked. He asserted that the massacre of Hindus is state-sponsored, carried out at the behest of extremist maulanas, and demanded decisive Indian intervention.
A Call for National and International Action
Nazneen Ansari, National President of the Muslim Mahila Foundation, emphasized the perceived betrayal by Bangladesh. "There can be no other country as ungrateful as Bangladesh, as it is targeting India, the country that helped it gain independence," she said.
The collective demand from the protest was clear and forceful. The organizers and participants pressed the Indian government to adopt a hardline stance, including potential military action, to protect Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and to punish the extremist elements they hold responsible for the violence. The event successfully drew local attention to an international humanitarian issue, framing it as a matter of regional security and religious freedom.
