A five-member delegation of monks went to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission here on Wednesday to submit a memorandum demanding immediate steps to stop atrocities on Hindus and other religious minorities in the neighbouring country.

Kartik Maharaj, one of the members of the delegation, said they had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take legal recourse to ensure the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh.

"Bigger protests will be organised in West Bengal if appropriate steps are not taken to ensure protection of the minorities in Bangladesh," he said.

The monks emphasised that they want all religious minorities in Bangladesh to receive justice and not face oppression and attacks.

Maharaj said it was unacceptable that arrested Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das could not be represented by any lawyer in a Bangladesh court on Tuesday.

He demanded that the international border between India and Bangladesh be opened to provide shelter to those facing "religious persecution" in the neighboring country.

"There is a difference between infiltrators and refugees," Maharaj said.

Bangladesh's minority Hindus, who constitute only about 8 per cent of the 170 million population, have faced over 200 attacks in 50-odd districts since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government on August 5.

Das was arrested in a sedition case and was denied bail by a court. A Bangladesh court on Tuesday deferred to January 2 next year hearing on the bail petition of Das on a government plea as no lawyer appeared on his behalf.

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