Mamata Banerjee Wants UN Force In Bangladesh, Says PM Modi Must Intervene

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday called for a United Nations peacekeeping force be deployed in Bangladesh and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal intervention to secure the safety of religious minorities in the violence-hit neighbouring nation.

Ms Banerjee's demands come amid reports that at least three Hindu priests - from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness - have been arrested in civil unrest that has roiled Bangladesh since August, when a student-led rebellion forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to stand down and the Army took over, before an interim government was installed.

"We have families... properties... and loved ones in Bangladesh. We accept whatever stance the Government of India takes on this...but we condemn atrocities on religious grounds anywhere in the world and appeal to the union government, and the Prime Minister, to intervene," she said.

Addressing the Bengal Assembly, Ms Banerjee said she had spoken to the chief of the ISKCON's Kolkata unit to extend her sympathies and support, and stressed, "If Indians are attacked in Bangladesh, then we cannot tolerate it. We can bring back (repatriate) our people from there."

"The Government of India can take this matter up with the United Nations... so a peacekeeping force can be sent to Bangladesh," Ms Banerjee thundered.

The Bengal Chief Minister said she was not seeking to interfere with the internal affairs of another country, but pointed out that when Bangladeshi fishermen had mistakenly entered Indian waters, or when a Bangladeshi trawler had capsized, her government had "rescued them and treated them (well)".