'No proof that Muslims are being persecuted in India': Bangladesh govt rejects Jamaat's claim

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed rejected brewing claims in the country that Muslims are being persecuted in West Bengal or Assam. The allegations started swirling after the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) came to power in West Bengal and Assam.

The Bangladeshi government firmly rejected those claims, saying that there is "no such proof" to support the allegations. According to The Times of India report published on May 14, Dhaka maintained that it had not received any official reports of persecution or atrocities against Muslims in India.

The Bangladeshi government was dismissing allegations made by Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), the country’s largest Islamist political party, and its allies. Earlier this week, the group had claimed that Muslims were facing persecution in India following the BJP's election wins in both West Bengal and Assam.

Bangladesh's government backs India

According to The Times of India, officials in Dhaka said there was no evidence to support the accusations. Bangladesh authorities also noted that they had not received any reports through diplomatic or official channels regarding such incidents.

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The country's Home Minister, Salahuddin Ahmed, went on to directly question the basis of the claims. “What proof or data do you have that such torture against Muslims has started? Many old incidents are being circulated on social media. Our diplomatic mission is there. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is there. You can ask them. We have not received any reports of such incidents of torture," he said on Tuesday.

It is pertinent to note that JeI and its coalition partners form the opposition in the Bangladeshi parliament. They alleged that Muslims across the border were facing continuous persecution. They also claimed that “anti-Bangladesh" forces would continue to spread “provocation, communalism and propaganda". However, they did not provide any form of evidence to back their claims.