Protests held in various parts of city against Bangladesh Hindu atrocities

Kanpur: Protests were held in various parts of the city on Tuesday over the reported atrocities on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.Several saints participating in a dharna staged by the Bangladeshi Hindu Raksha Sangharsh Samiti declared that the time had come to counter the atrocities on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. They drew parallels to American intervention when people were being assassinated in Afghanistan. They demanded that Indian forces should launch an offensive against Bangladesh and merge it with India.The dharna was organised at GNK College ground where mahants addressed the gathering. Arun Chaitanyapuri, mahant of Sidhnath Dham, said, "If religion is not safe, then how can we be safe?" He said that their voice should be sufficiently forceful to unsettle militants in Bangladesh, and the issue of atrocities on Hindu minorities must reach the United Nations".Virendrajit Singh, sanghchalak of eastern area, said that temples, churches and mutts were being demolished in Dhaka. Swamy Chinmay Das of ISKCON had been arrested and was being prosecuted under sedition charges. The Bangladeshi government was suppressing the voices of Hindu organizations, he alleged.Jitendra Das, mahant of Panki Temple, and Arun Bharti, mahant of Anandeshwar Temple, said the fascist government of Bangladesh had permitted terrorists to spread religious frenzy in the country. Sheikh Hasina, the dethroned prime minister of Bangladesh, had taken asylum in India. The United Nations must convene its session to discuss the situation in Bangladesh.Following a two-hour sit-in, the saints and mahants took out a rally from GNK College to the divisional commissioner's office. Throughout the route, the agitators waved the saffron flag and raised slogans supporting Hindu minorities of Bangladesh.At the divisional commissioner's office, they submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India to assistant divisional commissioner Renu Singh. Besides saints and mahants, mayor Pramila Pandey and others were present.