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One hundred and 45 eminent citizens of Bangladesh in a statement on Friday called on Indian citizens to resist the menace of sectarianism in India. 

‘We will fight against sectarianism in our country, and you [Indian nationals] too will stand against sectarianism in your country,’ said the statement addressing the Indian nationals.

‘You will resist this conspiracy while upholding the aspiration of those who gave their lives in democratic movements and mass  uprisings in your country,’ it said.

‘This struggle is a continuous fight of the people of both countries against the exploitation, plunder, oppression, and domination of the Indian capital. It is our united struggle against division, hatred and religiously driven conspiracies,’ the statement added. 

It acknowledged that the Indian people expressed solidarity with the July-August student-led mass uprising, which forced fascist Sheikh Hasina to flee to India, leading to the ouster of the fascist Awami League government on August 5.

The statement, however, expressed concern that several extremist sectarian forces in India persistently kept provoking tensions to disrupt the friendly relations among the people of the region, particularly at a time when diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and India were at their lowest.

The citizens in the statement said that they did not view Indian nationals and the government through the same lens, mentioning that Indian nationals had also been fighting against Hindutva forces and sectarianism. 

Mentioning that sectarianism is a major problem in the subcontinent, the statement read that the ruling classes of this region used sectarianism as a weapon to hide their failure to ensure crucial rights, including the right to education and healthcare, price hikes of essential commodities, and violence against women. 

‘They [the ruling class] use this tactic as a means to secure votes from both majority and minority groups. Repeated attacks on minorities are especially observed to occur during shifts in the political landscape.’  

It added that many Indian media outlets had not circulated real incidents that happened in Bangladesh and have continued to do so, citing the example of an accident on the Dhaka-Agartala-Dhaka route in Brahmanbaria on November 30. 

An Indian media outlet, however, portrayed the accident as a planned attack and in several hours of the circulation of the news the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala came under attack, and the national flag of Bangladesh was desecrated. 

‘Although the Indian government expressed its regret, it did not take any effective measures to stop the circulation of such false news,’ the statement reads. 

It also expressed astonishment over the Indian government’s stance in favor of the recently arrested former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, who had been fired from ISKCON and was not an Indian national.

The statement said that Saiful Islam Alif, a Chattogram court assistant public prosecutor, was stabbed to death during a clash between law enforcement agencies and followers of Chinmoy when he was produced before a court, adding that due to the efforts of Bangladesh nationals, major untoward incidents that could have arisen from this event were prevented.

The Hindu community in Bangladesh has always been committed to establishing a non-communal Bangladesh, it added.  

The signatories of the statement included economist Anu Muhammad, professor and writer Salimullah Khan, Bangladesh Open University pro-vice-chancellor Sayeed Ferdous, writer and activist Rahnuma Ahmed and writer and singer Farzana Wahid Shayan.