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Desk Report: Bangladesh’s Khelafat Majlis has strongly condemned the eviction of around
1,100 Muslim families and the demolition of several mosques in India’s Assam,
expressing deep concern over what it described as a systematic campaign against
Bengali-speaking Muslims.The Islamist political
party has called on the Indian government to immediately stop what it termed
the persecution and attempts to eliminate Muslims, warning that continued
attacks on minority communities would have serious consequences.The condemnation came
at the party’s weekly meeting of its Central Executive Council, where members
alleged that Bengali-speaking Muslims were being selectively evicted from their
homes in Assam under the pretext of clearing forest land, allegedly on the instructions
of the state’s BJP-led government.According to the party,
many of the affected families had been living in the area for generations, even
before India’s independence. It also alleged that several demolished mosques
were decades old, with some reportedly dating back around half a century.Khelafat Majlis further
expressed concern over what it described as an attempt to close a nearly
150-year-old mosque near the residence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
in New Delhi.The party claimed that
Muslims across India were facing a broader pattern of attacks on their lives,
property, mosques and madrasas. It criticised the alleged communal conduct of
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),
describing such actions as unacceptable and a serious violation of civil and
human rights.Drawing a comparison
between the treatment of religious minorities in the two neighbouring
countries, the party said the Bangladesh government was extending maximum
cooperation to members of the Hindu community in observing their religious
festivals, while the Indian government was allowing the destruction of the
lives and property of Muslims, according to its statement.Khelafat Majlis urged
New Delhi to take immediate steps to protect Muslim communities, prevent
further evictions and demolitions, and uphold the rights of religious
minorities.The party also warned
that failure to halt such activities could lead to serious consequences for
India.The weekly executive
meeting was held at the party’s central office in Paltan, Dhaka, at 6:00pm on
Wednesday, with Ameer of Khelafat Majlis Maulana Abdul Basit Azad in the chair
and Secretary General Dr Ahmad Abdul Qader conducting the proceedings.Among those present
were Naib-e-Ameer Maulana Sakhawat Hossain and Maulana Ahmad Ali Qasemi; Joint
Secretaries General Advocate Jahangir Hossain, Muhammad Muntasir Ali and Dr
Mostafizur Rahman Faisal; Professor Md Abdul Jalil; Training Secretary Md
Zahirul Islam; Assistant Organising Secretary Shahab Uddin Ahmad Khandaker;
Mufti Abdul Haque Amini; Alhaj Nur Hossain; Hafiz Maulana Nurul Haque; Maulana
Saifuddin Ahmad; Dr Abu Musaib; Maulana Faruk Ahmad Bhuiyan; Alhaj Amir Ali
Hawladar; and Advocate Maulana Rafiqul Islam, among others.
The allegations
concerning the evictions and mosque demolitions were made by Khelafat Majlis in
its statement. Independent verification of the claims was not provided in the
information available for this report.