As Hindus continue to face violent attacks in Bangladesh, noted economist Sanjeev Sanyal has questioned the silence of "intellectuals" in West Bengal. He in a tweet today said the silence of the "Bengali intellectuals in the face of what is happening to Bangladeshi Hindus is both disgusting and unsurprising".
Sanyal said these "intellectuals" have an opinion on every issue in the universe except on those "where a spine is needed". "They justified their treachery of Netaji; they reduced Sri Aurobindo to a "sadhu", they murdered Kolkata," said the economist, who has also written a book about forgotten revolutionaries - 'Revolutionaries: The Other Story of How India Won Its Freedom'.
Social media is swamped with reports of violent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, which some believe has fallen into the hands of Islamist forces following the sudden flight of Sheikh Hasina. Ever since Hasina fled Dhaka, Hindus came under attack across 27 districts of Bangladesh. Dozens of Hindu temples including ISKCON were vandalised and set on fire, and businesses were targeted.
The mob also attacked eminent Bangladeshi Hindu singer Rahul Ananda's 140-year-old house in Dhaka's Dhanmondi.
Reacting to the report of the attack on Ananda's house, a user said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, TMC leaders, Bengali film actors, and so-called intellectuals, who at the drop of a hat, shed tears for some obscure Muslims across ocean, have not come out with statements against Bangladeshi Muslims.
Some also pointed out that Mamata was quick to offer shelter to Bangladeshis during protests, but she did not say a word for Hindus facing attack there.
Earlier today, Supreme Court advocate J Sai Deepak shared a thread of appeals he received on social media from Hindus who either have been attacked or know someone who has faced the brunt of Islamist forces. Several Hindus who have reached out to Deepak want to get out of Bangladesh.
Deepak also shared a post by a social media user, who claimed that 73 Bangladeshi Hindus lost their lives in one day (August 7) because they were denied treatment in hospitals just for being Hindus. The user said that 52 hospitals (including many government ones) had denied them treatment.
Earlier this week, Kanchan Gupta, senior advisor to the I&B Ministry, slammed Rahul Gandhi for not speaking up for Hindus in Bangladesh. "Congress sheds tears for Palestine, shows contempt for Hindu plight in Bangladesh: Silence exposes Hindumisia," he said in a tweet.
Gupta said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, immediately after Muhammad Yunus took over, emphatically stressed the need for restoration of normalcy and the safety and protection of Hindus and all minority communities in Bangladesh. "But there was no such concern expressed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his 'congratulatory' message to Yunus. His silence on Hindus and their plight in Bangladesh is loud and clear: He and his party have no empathy for Hindus at home or abroad."
"Yet the same Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi have led the Congress’s high decibel campaign in support of 'Palestine’ and Palestinians. Congress eyes are on Rafa, not Hindus being brutalised in Dhaka! This is the real face of Nehru Parivar — Hindumisia is their auto impulse."
Speaking on the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Shri Pragyanand Saraswati today said that what is happening there is a matter of great concern. "This is not just our concern, but for all of humanity. What is happening there is shameful for humanity, and nothing is greater than humanity."