VHP flags minority ‘atrocities’ to UNGA chief ahead of India visit

NEW DELHI: A day ahead of UN General Assembly president Annalena Baerbock’s visit to India, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has written to her flagging what it termed “persistent atrocities” against religious minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh, seeking urgent intervention from the United Nations.In a letter dated April 27, VHP international president Alok Kumar cited instances of forced conversions, violence and systemic discrimination targeting Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians. “The scale and persistence of these grave human rights violations point to systemic discrimination,” he wrote, urging the UN to take “affirmative action to safeguard the lives, the rights, the dignity and the properties of minorities”.Referring to findings of UN human rights experts, the letter said that in Pakistan, “about 75% of the women and girls affected by forced conversion through marriage were Hindu and 25% Christian,” with “almost 80% of incidents” occurring in Sindh province. “Adolescent girls between 14 and 18 are particularly targeted… Women and girls… face coercion… abuse and severe trauma,” it noted. It added that authorities often “dismiss complaints… fail to investigate or prosecute… or neglect to properly assess the age of victims”.On Bangladesh, the VHP cited reports submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, stating that “from the 4th to the 20th of August, 2024 alone… 2,010 incidents of communal violence” were recorded, “predominantly targeting Hindus”. The letter also referred to concerns over the safety of indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region.Kumar said assurances of equal rights to minorities post-Partition had “unfortunately… reversed”, alleging continued persecution. The VHP has sought an independent international investigation, a victim protection mechanism, and accountability under international law.Copies were marked to UN secretary-general António Guterres, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar.