Bangladesh violence: Hindu Munnani moves Madras High Court seeking permission for demonstrations across Tamil Nadu

A Hindu Munnani office-bearer has approached the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu Home Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) to permit demonstrations across the State over the “genocide” of Hindus in Bangladesh.

A Hindu Munnani office-bearer has approached Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu Home Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) to permit demonstrations across the State for impressing upon the Centre the need to take immediate steps to stop the “genocide” of Hindus in Bangladesh.

Justice G. Jayachandran on Friday (August 16, 2024) directed a Government Advocate (criminal side) to obtain instructions by Wednesday (August 21, 2024) and inform the court why the police had rejected the Hindu Munnani’s requests to hold such demonstrations. In the meantime, the requests could also be reconsidered, he said.

Senior counsel G. Karthikeyan, representing the petitioner P. Siva Vijayan, the Chennai city secretary of Hindu Munnani, said the aim of the organisation was to inculcate patriotism, fight against caste discrimination and untouchability, work towards unity among Hindus, safeguard temple properties, and so on.

He said ever since the Bangladesh government led by Sheikh Hasina fell recently, the neighbouring country has been witnessing a spike in violence against those professing Hinduism. Several incidents of deaths, rape, and demolition of Hindu temples had been reported, he alleged, and insisted that Hindus in Bangladesh must be protected.

In his affidavit, the petitioner said though “several parts of the world, including many political parties in India, expressed concern for Palestine in its conflict with Israel; unfortunately, there is not even a single voice to stop Hindu genocide in Bangladesh. Hence, Hindu Munnani decided to conduct demonstrations all over Tamil Nadu.”

However, the Greater Chennai Commissioner of Police, as well as the police officials in Erode, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Namakkal, Madurai, Cudddalore, and Ranipet districts, rejected the requests made by the Hindu Munnani office-bearers to conduct demonstrations within their territorial jurisdictions, the petitioner complained.

Enclosing copies of the rejection orders with the direction petition, Mr. Karthikeyan said they had been passed citing usual reasons, such as the need to maintain law and order, peace and tranquility, and so on. He said such reasons could not be cited to curb the right to assemble peacefully.