Desk Report: Dhaka, October 22: Bangladesh’s Khelafat Majlis has strongly condemned the eviction of around 1,100 Muslim families and the demolition of several mosques in India’s Assam, expressing deep concern over what it described as a systematic campaign against Bengali-speaking Muslims.

The Islamist political party has called on the Indian government to immediately stop what it termed the persecution and attempts to eliminate Muslims, warning that continued attacks on minority communities would have serious consequences.

The condemnation came at the party’s weekly meeting of its Central Executive Council, where members alleged that Bengali-speaking Muslims were being selectively evicted from their homes in Assam under the pretext of clearing forest land, allegedly on the instructions of the state’s BJP-led government.

According to the party, many of the affected families had been living in the area for generations, even before India’s independence. It also alleged that several demolished mosques were decades old, with some reportedly dating back around half a century.

Khelafat Majlis further expressed concern over what it described as an attempt to close a nearly 150-year-old mosque near the residence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

The party claimed that Muslims across India were facing a broader pattern of attacks on their lives, property, mosques and madrasas. It criticised the alleged communal conduct of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), describing such actions as unacceptable and a serious violation of civil and human rights.

Drawing a comparison between the treatment of religious minorities in the two neighbouring countries, the party said the Bangladesh government was extending maximum cooperation to members of the Hindu community in observing their religious festivals, while the Indian government was allowing the destruction of the lives and property of Muslims, according to its statement.

Khelafat Majlis urged New Delhi to take immediate steps to protect Muslim communities, prevent further evictions and demolitions, and uphold the rights of religious minorities.

The party also warned that failure to halt such activities could lead to serious consequences for India.

The weekly executive meeting was held at the party’s central office in Paltan, Dhaka, at 6:00pm on Wednesday, with Ameer of Khelafat Majlis Maulana Abdul Basit Azad in the chair and Secretary General Dr Ahmad Abdul Qader conducting the proceedings.

Among those present were Naib-e-Ameer Maulana Sakhawat Hossain and Maulana Ahmad Ali Qasemi; Joint Secretaries General Advocate Jahangir Hossain, Muhammad Muntasir Ali and Dr Mostafizur Rahman Faisal; Professor Md Abdul Jalil; Training Secretary Md Zahirul Islam; Assistant Organising Secretary Shahab Uddin Ahmad Khandaker; Mufti Abdul Haque Amini; Alhaj Nur Hossain; Hafiz Maulana Nurul Haque; Maulana Saifuddin Ahmad; Dr Abu Musaib; Maulana Faruk Ahmad Bhuiyan; Alhaj Amir Ali Hawladar; and Advocate Maulana Rafiqul Islam, among others.

The allegations concerning the evictions and mosque demolitions were made by Khelafat Majlis in its statement. Independent verification of the claims was not provided in the information available for this report.