A total of 145 citizens of Bangladesh have issued a joint statement titled "Our Appeal to the People of India" addressing various issues concerning communalism, inter-country relations, and shared democratic struggles.
The statement addressed to the people of India says: "When we consider the crises in the lives of ordinary people, there is essentially no difference between the two countries. We will fight against communal tendencies and power in our country, and you should stand against communalism in your country."
This statement was sent to the media on Friday, on behalf of the 145 citizens by Rafiquzzaman Farid, the central general secretary of the Socialist Students' Front (Marxist).
"We are in a critical situation, where diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh are in a deplorable state, and certain Indian radical communal forces are continuously inciting to disrupt the friendly relations between the peoples of this region. We never equate the people of India with the Indian government.
We know that the people of India are also fighting against Hindutva forces and communalism. We fought for a long time against the fascist rule of the Awami League and brought it down. During the bloody struggles of July-August, you expressed solidarity with us by participating in movements. The continuity of solidarity between our democratic movement and yours has been long-standing."
The statement highlights that communalism is the major problem in the Indian subcontinent, saying that it divides people, creating divisions based on religion.
The statement mentions that under the previous Awami League government, there were attacks on Hindu homes, land grabs, temple vandalism, and casualties across Bangladesh. After the public uprising on August 5, similar attacks on Hindu homes, businesses, and temples occurred nationwide.
The statement notes that after this uprising, many political parties stepped forward to protect Hindu homes and temples, setting new examples of communal harmony. Additionally, the democratic people of Bangladesh protested the incident involving the Indian national flag being trampled on.
However, several Indian media outlets failed to report the facts about Bangladesh, and continue to misreport, it added.
The statement also expresses surprise over the Indian government's role following the recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
It says: "We support the right to a fair trial for Chinmoy Krishna, as everyone has that right. However, the way the Indian Ministry of External Affairs hastily issued a statement in his favor was surprising. On the day he was presented in court, a large-scale disorder took place, and lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was killed. Thanks to the combined efforts of the people of this country, no major untoward incident occurred under this pretext."
The statement further emphasizes that Bangladesh's Hindu community has always supported the establishment of a secular state. The role of the Hindu community in the country's independence war and all democratic movements is distinguished. Many Hindus joined the July-August uprising and sacrificed their lives.
Among the signatories of the statement are Anu Muhammad, Salimullah Khan and others.