Forum for Protection of Minorities Bangladesh (FPMB), an association of various temple management groups and intellectuals, has announced its third protest plan against alleged crimes against religious and ethnic minorities in the neighboring country. The group has called for a “long march” on December 28 to express their anger at the violence and continued detention of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former official of the International Association for Krishna Consciousness.
The call is similar to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s “Long March to Agartala” on December 11 to protest against the vandalism and disrespect of the Bangladesh flag at the Assistant High Commission in Agartala earlier this month.
Assistant High Commissioner for Diplomatic Missions Arif Mohammed was summoned to Dhaka shortly after the incident. However, the Bangladesh MEA website still lists him as the head of the delegation in Agartala.
Temple groups began protests after the fall of the Awami League government over alleged persecution of minorities, and the protests have intensified since Das’ arrest. Daily demonstrations have not happened for a week.
The organizers on Thursday said that the “long march” of FPMB on December 28 will end at Agartala Integrated Check Post (ICP) and assured that the rally will not try to breach the border. Police sources said that all processions towards the ICP will be stopped two kilometers from the border and this will also apply to the FPMB rally.
Published – December 19, 2024 at 10:59 pm (IST)