A strange sight was seen in the skies of New York, America on Thursday. Amidst the news of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, people came up with a unique idea to protest. US Hindu groups hoisted a giant airline banner in New York. In this banner, an appeal was made to the global community to take action as soon as possible to stop the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh. This banner was flown over the Hudson River and also circled around the Statue of Liberty.
It is noteworthy that according to the resolution of the US Congress in 2022, during the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, 2.8 million people died and at least 2 lakh Hindu women were raped. Since then, Bangladesh’s Hindu population has declined from 20 percent in 1971 to only 8.9 percent today. More than 2 lakh Hindus have been affected amid recent incidents of violence, lynching, kidnapping of minor girls, and forced resignations from jobs. Besides, his property has also been confiscated. This is a serious threat to the 13 to 15 million Hindus living in the country. Around 250 attacks on Hindus and more than 1,000 such incidents have been reported since August 5, 2024.
Sitangshu Guha of Bangladesh Hindu community and one of the event organizers of the banner spoke about the threat and said, “Hindus in Bangladesh are on the verge of extinction. Hopefully this will raise awareness in the world and help the United Nations in Bangladesh. He further said, “If Bangladesh becomes Hindu free it will become Afghanistan 2.0 and terrorists will spread to other parts of the world including neighboring India and the West. The problem is for everyone.”
Surjit Chowdhury, founder of Shri Geeta Sangh in New Jersey, US, urged the Bangladesh government to stop all violence against the Hindu community and resolve political differences through democratic processes. Humanitarian organizations are closely monitoring the deteriorating conditions in Bangladesh. They fear that increasing violence could lead to large-scale genocide. Americans are also being urged to boycott Bangladeshi textiles, which account for 85 percent of the country’s export earnings, until the violence stops and the perpetrators are brought to justice. Officials of Walmart, H&M, Gap Inc., Target, PVH Corp and VF Corporation, which are major buyers of Bangladeshi clothing, have been appealed to stop shipments from Bangladesh. The Jewish community in America has also shown solidarity with the Hindu minorities.