Hindu Americans hold rallies to protest attacks on minorities in Bangladesh

Across nearly two dozen cities in the United States, Hindu Americans took to streets and prayer halls over the weekend, blending solemn vigils with impassioned rallies to draw attention to what they described as sustained attacks on Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh. Organisers called on US lawmakers and international bodies to act, framing the protests as a plea for justice and accountability.

Demonstrations were reported in cities including Princeton, Los Angeles, Chicago, the Bay Area, Detroit, and Tampa. Participants carried banners, offered prayers, and voiced their anguish over the violence they said has claimed thousands of victims.

At a Princeton rally, one speaker evoked the scale of the crisis: “We gather in support of Bangladeshi Hindus and other minorities enduring a genocide,” he said, citing more than 3,000 attacks since last year. “It’s time to speak up. It’s time to stop.”

In Detroit, protesters described the attacks as a “drip-drip genocide,” urging supporters to mobilise locally, contact lawmakers, and join an upcoming event in Washington, D.C., ahead of a Congressional hearing scheduled for February 9. Los Angeles participants combined prayer with calls for civic action. “Please don’t be silent. Speak up because silence is acceptance,” a speaker urged, imploring citizens to stand up and be counted.

An official with the Coalition of Hindus of North America highlighted an online petition enabling Americans to reach out to elected officials. “Innocent Hindus are being brutally attacked solely for their religious identity,” said organisers from FIA-Chicago and the National India Hub, which led a rally in Schaumburg, Illinois. “Silence and passiveness only enable genocide.”

Similar vigils and rallies were also held in Boston, Houston, and the Bay Area, underscoring a coordinated, nationwide movement. At a Bay Area event, organisers described the protests as “an unprecedented grassroots movement spanning from coast to coast,” stressing: “When innocent lives are lost, silence is not an option.”

The demonstrations, blending devotion, grief, and civic urgency, cast a spotlight on the plight of Bangladeshi minorities, signalling a transnational call for justice and policy intervention.

With IANS inputs