Hope situation in Bangladesh improves, India will always be supportive of its development: PM in Independence Day speech

"We will continue to wish well for Bangladesh in its development journey," PM Narendra Modi said in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort, Delhi, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on Thursday hoped that the situation in Bangladesh will improve soon even as he expressed concern over the safety of Hindus and other minorities in that country, news agency PTI reported.

Modi said India will always be supportive of Bangladesh's growth and development.

"India always wants our neighbouring countries to march in the path of prosperity and peace. We are committed to peace," he said from the ramparts of Red Fort in his Independence Day address.

As a neighbouring country, India is concerned over what happened in Bangladesh, PM Modi added.

"As a neighbouring country, I can understand the concerns regarding whatever has happened in Bangladesh. I hope that the situation will improve at the earliest. We will continue to wish well for Bangladesh in its development journey," he said in his Independence Day speech.

Following PM Sheikh Hasina's ouster earlier this month, large-scale attacks have been taking place on the countries minorities. Although a new interim government is in place under the leadership of Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus, the attacks on minorities have not stopped.

In a latest incident, arsonists torched a house belonging to a Hindu family with no political affiliation in northwest Bangladesh, a media report said on Wednesday. Local people quickly responded and managed to control the fire.

The incident in Farabari Mandirpara village in Akcha union under Thakurgaon Sadar upazila took place on Tuesday evening, hours after Chief Advisor to the interim government Yunus Muhammad assured the distressed minority community that his government would punish the perpetrators.

Thousands of minority Hindu community members have been staging massive protest rallies across Bangladesh demanding protection amid nationwide vandalism that saw attacks on temples and their households and businesses. The protests have now gone global, with Hindus and other minorities protesting over the attacks across the world.

Demanding special tribunals to expedite trials of those who persecute the minorities, allocation of 10 per cent parliamentary seats for the minorities, and enactment of a minority protection law among others, the Hindu demonstrators' rally blocked traffic for over three hours at Shahbagh in the central part of Dhaka last week.

(With PTI inputs)