Rights group seeks protection for Hindus in Bangladesh

New Delhi, Sept. 18 (PTI): A US-based human rights group, which studied the recent rise in violence against the Hindus in Bangladesh, has asked the international community to exert pressure on the Khaleda Zia government to curtail the "dangerous" growth of fundamentalist outfits in the country.

Citing 402 incidents of attacks on Hindus in the country between January and November last year, the group has concluded that "the direct threat to the Hindus is in Bangladesh."

"They are the only remaining Hindu population of substantial size outside India that is suffering human rights abuses and being rapidly expelled by an Islamist regime", the 'Hindu American Foundation' said in a study on the issue.

The Foundation, which states it is not affiliated to any religious or political organisation, also observed that "no definitive or demonstrably effective measures have been taken by the Bangladesh government to attend the concerns of the Hindu victims and to augment the physical and psychological security of that population".

There were only two non-Muslim members in the 51-member Khaleda Zia Ministry, ranked 46th and 48th in terms of seniority and importance, it said.