Hindus should learn self-defence like Israelis: Giriraj Singh on B'desh situation

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Amid ongoing violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday said all Hindus should undergo self-defence training like Israelis. In a post on social media platform X, the Minister said: "Lessons should be learnt from Bangladesh and considering the situation in our country, all Hindus should undergo self-defence training like Israel." His post comes amid continuing violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh.

Massive demonstrations were being carried out in various states in India to protest against the targeting of Hindus in the South Asian country. For the unversed, the Israelis, shaken by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, have turned to 'Krav Maga' for learning self-defence. In the massacre, Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 251. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has said more than 38,000 people in the Strip have been killed in the war with Israel.

Krav Maga, contact combat, is a highly effective, battle-tested Israeli system of self-defence, fighting skills and defensive tactics. In Bangladesh, Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu priest, was arrested on sedition charges and his bail plea was deferred till January 2 as no lawyer was ready to represent him. ISKCON had claimed that Advocate Ramen Roy, who had defended Bangladesh's Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in the sedition case was brutally attacked in the neighbouring country and was now fighting for his life in a hospital.

India has urged the Bangladesh government to ensure the security of minorities. Last month, the Union Minister said that as the Bangladesh interim government headed by Mohammed Yousuf was acting on the directions of fundamentalists, the United Nations should intervene and solve the matter. He also pressed for a law to stop conversions in India.

Meanwhile, in another post, Giriraj Singh hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the country has become a force in the world under his leadership. Pressing for the BJP's one nation, one election poll promise, he posted: "To make the country stronger and more progressive, we now need one country, one election".