Three separate rallies were held in Agartala on Saturday seeking protection of indigenous and religious minorities in neighbouring Bangladesh.

One of the rally organisers, the Youth Tipra Federation (YTF), submitted a representation to the Agartala-based assistant high commissioner, Bangladesh, appealing to the “interim government and the people of Bangladesh to prioritise peace and harmony over any form of violence and conflict”.

The YTF is the youth wing of the Tipra Motha party, a constuituent of the BJP-led ruling coalition in Tripura. The state shares border with Bangladesh.

Hundreds participated in a peaceful rally from Gandhi Chowk to the office of the assistant high commissioner on Saturday afternoon, carrying banners and placards, condemning the attack on minorities and appealing for peace and their safety.

Placards said “Save Minorities in Bangladesh” and “Wake Up Bangladesh, Minorities Lives Matter”.

The Tripura Chakma Students’ Association (TCSA) also organised a rally seeking protection of minorities in Bangladesh. Like the YTF, they also referred to the attacks on minoritiers and tribal communities in India’s neighbourhood. According to the organisation, 67 minorities have reportedly died in these attacks in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

A rally was also taken out by Buddhist monks with placards and banners in the capital city condemning attacks, involving “settlers” from outside and the “army personnel”, and seeking a secured life for the minorities in the neighbouring country. They said Buddhist temples were being targetted by the attackers.

The protest rallies in Agartala came a day after representatives of the Chakma community in India on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi “not” to hold any dialogue/meeting with the “Chief Caretaker” of the interim Bangladesh government, Dr Mohammed Yunus, and also “downgrade” diplomatic relations with the neighbouring country “until the lives and properties of the hill tribes and religious minorities (living there) are protected”.

In a memorandum submitted to the PMO on Friday, the Chakma leaders cited the deaths and destruction caused by the “ongoing organised attacks” on the indigenous peoples in CHT “by the Bangladesh Army and the illegal plain settlers since September19”.

The YTF representation said minorities all over the world “have the right to practice their religion, faith and customs, and to live peacefully in their motherland”.

They expected a “similar” commitment from the Bangladesh government, “especially given the significant population of indigenous peoples, including Tiprasas, Chakmas, Manipuris, Garos, among others, as well as religious minorities like Hindu Bengalis, Buddhists and Christians.”

The “current climate of fear and insecurity” among these communities, the
YTF claimed, is “unacceptable and not good for the progress and prosperity of the
region”.

The YTF appealed to the interim regime in Bangladesh and its people “to prioritise peace and harmony over any form of violence and conflict” and that it was “essential” for Bangladesh to take “immediate and effective measures to protect the rights and lives of all indigenous and religious minorities”.

Bangladesh has been in turmoil even before the Sheikh Hasina government collapsed on August 5.