18 Hindus charged with sedition over hoisting of saffron flag; highlights country’s ill-treatment of minorities
Eighteen Hindus in Bangladesh are facing sedition charges for raising a saffron flag, revealing the country’s biased treatment of minorities, about which even former US President Donald Trump has talked about.
Two individuals were taken into custody. The situation appears to be a form of payback, occurring while Hindu groups were convening a sizable meeting in Chattogram advocating for a law and court dedicated to safeguarding minorities.
A sedition case, experts from Bangladesh told India Today Digital, wouldn’t have been lodged without approval from officials of the home ministry of Bangladesh. The officer in-charge of a police station wouldn’t have gone ahead on his own in such cases, they said.
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Apart from the 18 Hindus accused of sedition, the complaint also refers to 15-20 unknown individuals, allowing for the possibility of including their names in the future proceedings.
Sedition case relates to October 25 protests by Hindu groups over change in laws
The sedition case relates to an incident on October 25, during a large rally in Chattogram by Hindu groups for their eight-point demand. The eight point request consists of creating a tribunal for prosecuting individuals who oppress minorities, enacting legislation for minority protection, and setting up a department specifically for minorities.
“A section of people in Bangladesh have tried to project the eight-point demand as one backed by the Awami League and the Indian government,” Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, one of those charged with sedition and President of Pundarik Dham, told India Today Digital.
