Mamata Banerjee urges UN intervention in Bangladesh crisis

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on Monday, 2 December, sought the intervention of the United Nations (UN) in the ongoing crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh.

She also floated a proposal for the Union government to consider peacekeeping forces in Bangladesh following the UN intervention.

“These are my proposals. Let the prime minister give a statement on the matter and seek UN intervention,” the chief minister said after mentioning these two proposals on the floor of the state Assembly.

She also explained the reasons for the proposals. “I do not want to speak about illegal infiltrations. This is entirely a matter of the Union government and we always accept the central decisions in the matter. But, the Union government has been silent on the Bangladesh issue for the last ten days. The ruling party (in India) here is demanding the sealing of borders and stopping the supply of food. We can do that if the Union government wants us to do that,” the chief minister said.

Through her statement in the House, the chief minister reiterated her earlier stand on this issue when she said that her government and party would support whatever stand was taken by the Union government on Bangladesh.

Her statements on the floor of the House came a day after a senior official of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), on Sunday evening, claimed that the international peace bodies, including the UN, were indifferent to the attacks and atrocities on minority Hindus in Bangladesh, especially the ISKCON monks.

Speaking on Monday, the chief minister also said if the Union government allows it she will have no problem giving shelter to people coming from Bangladesh. She also criticised the incident of insulting the Indian Tricolour in Bangladesh.

She also said that if the Centre feels it is necessary an Indian representative can be sent to Bangladesh for discussions.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has expressed shock and concerns over a "false and harassing case" accusing 70 minority lawyers and two journalists from Chittagong.

The case filed with the Kotwali police station on November 30, accuses them of being involved in crude bombs explosions and vandalising vehicles.

In an official statement on Sunday, the council said the case was filed with the ulterior motive of obstructing the sedition case brought against ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari and forcibly preventing the publication and dissemination of related news, which violates human rights and the rule of law.

The council also demanded that the Bangladeshi government and law enforcement authorities immediately withdraw the false case and take urgent steps to release the lawyers and journalists.