On December 9, 2024, marking the International Day of “Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide,” hundreds of Hindus from the Indian and Bangladeshi diaspora gathered at the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C., to protest violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.
The “March Against Genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh,” was assembled by the organization, StopHinduGenocide.org, along with Bangladeshi Diaspora organizations and HinduACTion.
Participants pleaded to the Biden-Harris administration to intervene and urge Bangladesh to end the violence in addition to amplifying calls for global recognition of atrocities faced by Hindus in Bangladesh.
HinduACTion’s Utsav Chakrabarti, one of the coordinators of the event, told South Asian Herald, “We have gathered here in front of the White House to ensure that the White House, as well as the incoming administration, is made aware of the precarious situation of Hindus in Bangladesh. Hindus there are being targeted for the last four months, and therefore it is important that the Biden-administration takes urgent measures to prevent further attacks on Hindus.”
Chakrabarti further said, “We have not been very happy with the current administration’s disengagement with the violence that has been going on in Bangladesh,” emphasizing the need for the administration to leverage its relationship with the Muhammad Yunus regime to prevent further attacks on Hindus, but also ensure the release of Chinmaya Prabhu.
“This march is not just a cry for justice; it is a demand for accountability,” said Chakrabarti. “We must act now to protect the lives and freedoms of Hindu minorities before it is too late.”
Narasimha Koppula, who spoke on behalf of Hindu organizations in the DMV area, told South Asian Herald, “We are here today to demonstrate our support and demand justice for Hindus who are being killed, tortured, and raped,” adding, “Through this demonstration, the local Hindus are asking for justice, to pressure the Bangladeshi government led by Muhammad Yunus, to stop the violence, and provide proper protection to all Hindu temples and institutions.”
Srikanth Akunuri from HinduACTion told South Asian Herald, “We are here to protest against the ongoing genocide that is happening in Bangladesh, and we would like the international community to come together and stop it right now. Every second that is wasted, you have more people getting killed.”
Akunuri, called it a “shame,” stating that “we are not able to even protect a completely nonviolent person like Chinmaya Prabhu in a place like Bangladesh.”
President of the DMV chapter of Americans for Hindus Super PAC, Akhil Govil, told South Asian Herald,“Today we are here to bring to light the injustice being done against the Hindus in Bangladesh. There is systematic genocide going on. The number of Hindus have gone down 30 pe cent in 1948 to 8 per cent now.”
Govil pointed out that the Yunus government has been “undermining the democracy that has been built up in the last few decades,” and also urged the Biden administration to put pressure on the Yunus government to end the genocide.
Dr. Kanchan Anand told South Asian Herald, “Today we are actually acknowledging that the Hindus all over the world need to unite, because what’s happening in Bangladesh should have never happened. We really need to raise our voices to protect the Hindus. If we are united, the voice will be heard, and we need to go out and talk about this.”
Underscoring the intrinsic value of human rights and human lives, Dr. Anand said, “Hindus need to be protected and not killed. As physicians, we never ask a patient, are you Hindu, Muslim, or Christian? We treat each and every person exactly the same. We are saving lives, and to watch people die in genocide is completely unacceptable.”
President of the Global Hindu Temple Network, Mohinder Gulati, told South Asian Herald, “We are here to protest against the atrocities against the minorities in Bangladesh. Any civilized society should be able to protect its minorities, and that is not happening in Bangladesh.”
Gulati added that that the Network has called on the US government, United Nations organizations, international financial institutions, and international corporate sector to act against those responsible for the genocide.
A report by the Global Hindu Temple Network and HinduACTion signed by a number of organizations also urged private sector companies such as, H&M, Walmart, Gap, Target, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Macys, and Ralph Lauren to take action.
Shuvo Roy, one of the protestors, also called on the Biden-Harris administration to intervene and ask the Yunus Government to immediately release Chinmaya Prabhu, who has allegedly been illegally detained and tortured by Bangladeshi security forces.
Following the march, Indian American lawmaker, Raja Krishnamoorthi, in a statement said, “As targeted violence against Hindus and other minorities continues amid the disorder in Bangladesh, I urge the members of the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations to address this crisis directly during the upcoming hearings to confirm Senator Rubio as the next U.S. Secretary of State,” adding “Through publicly conferring on the turmoil in Bangladesh, Senator Rubio must reaffirm the incoming Administration’s position on this issue and pledge concrete action steps to combat anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh.”
