RSS Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha Calls for Global Solidarity with the Hindu Community in Bangladesh
Bengaluru, 22 March 2025.
RSS Sah Sarkaryavah Arun Kumar Ji briefed the media on the resolutions passed by the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) today. He was joined by Sunil Ambekar, Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh on the dais. Other senior functionaries present during the briefing were Karnataka Uttar and Dakshin Prachar Pramukh Arun Kumar, Kshetra Prachar Pramukh Aayush Nadimpalli, Akhil Bharatiya Sah Prachar Pramukhs Pradip Joshi and Narendra Kumar.
Arun Kumar Ji briefed that the analysis, evolution of the organizational work, impact and transformation of the society was taken up during the ABPS. He said that the RSS had focused on the expansion and consolidation of impactful work in the last 100 years. He briefed the media on the journey of the RSS and provided details of its gradual expansion from a single shakha to the entire country. The Sangh aims to be ‘Sarva Sparshi, Sarva Vyapi’, touching all aspects of the society and nation he said. In this respect, Sangh is present in 134 premiere institutions today and aims to reach all institutions in the coming years.
Sangh works in remotest and tribal parts of the country today. For instance, there are 1031 shakhas in Janjati (tribal) areas of Koraput and Bolangir in Odisha, consisting of Karyakartas of those communities.
The RSS works through consultation and mutual agreement and thousands of meeting are conducted with various stakeholders in the society. Briefing on the work on women empowerment during the last year, he said nearly 1.5 lakh men and women personalities were contacted and interactions were organised with them.
As part of the Lokmata Ahilya Devi Holkar 300th birth year celebrations, he said that 22,000 events and summits to highlight the contribution of great Lokmata Ahilya Devi were held across the country, covering people of all walks of life. As part of the same celebrations, events to bolster women participation and contribution to the society were held. In this respect, 472 women-centric 1-day summits were organised during the year where 5.75 lakhs women participated.
Sangh works towards a solution wherever there is an issue. For instance, in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district, there were disabled children who were neglected and had no avenues to build a normal life. Sangh karyakartas identified such children and arranged not only for their medical support but were also provisioned with various avenues for a livelihood to lead a respectable life.
Expansion of Sangh work doesn’t mean the increase in the numerical strength of the RSS, but it indicates the increase in the positive strength of the society, he said.
Resolution on Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh
Speaking on the resolution on Bangladesh passed by the ABPS titled ‘A call to stand in Solidarity with Hindu Society of Bangladesh’, he said that the RSS expresses deep concern over the escalating violence, oppression, and targeted persecution faced by Hindus and other minority communities in Bangladesh at the hands of radical Islamist elements. The resolution passed by the ABPS on the situation in Bangladesh called out the systematic attacks on religious institutions, brutal killings, forced conversions, and destruction of Hindu properties. The statement said that the cycle of violence has created an existential crisis for the Hindu community in Bangladesh. The ABPS resolution strongly condemned these acts of religious intolerance and human rights violations and urges the global community to take decisive action.
Unabated Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh
Arun Kumar ji in his briefing said that the attacks on maths, temples, desecration of deities, looting of properties, and forcible religious conversions is condemnable but the perpetrators of these crimes have been emboldened by institutional apathy and government inaction.
Highlighting the continuous decline of the Hindu population in Bangladesh – from 22% in 1951 to just 7.95% today, Arun ji said that it reflects the severity of this crisis. The historical oppression of Hindus, especially among the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, remains a persistent issue. However, the level of organized violence and the government’s passive response in the last year is deeply alarming, he said.
Growing Threat to Regional Stability
Arun Kumar Ji said that the ABPS also raises concerns about the rising anti-Bharat rhetoric in Bangladesh, which threatens to strain the historically deep-rooted ties between the two nations. The resolution warns of the interference of international forces, including Pakistan and deep-state elements, who seek to destabilize the region by fueling communal tensions and fostering distrust. The ABPS resolution underscored that Bharat and its neighboring countries share a common cultural and historical heritage, and any form of communal discord in one part of the region affects the entire subcontinent, he briefed.
Commendable Resistance from Hindu Society and Global Support
Despite facing severe persecution, Hindus in Bangladesh have shown remarkable resilience in their struggle for justice and religious freedom, said Arun Kumar.
Their peaceful, collective, and democratic resistance has been met with strong moral and psychological support from Hindus in Bharat and across the world. The Government of Bharat has reiterated its commitment to standing with Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. It has engaged in diplomatic efforts with the Bangladesh government and has raised the issue at multiple international forums, he said.
The ABPS resolution further called upon international organizations such as the United Nations and the global community to take serious note of these inhumane acts and pressurize the Bangladesh government to take concrete steps to halt violence against Hindus and other minorities.
He reiterated that the RSS remains resolute in its commitment to protecting the rights, dignity, and religious freedom of Hindus in Bangladesh and urges immediate intervention to address this grave humanitarian and existential crisis.
Answering a question on the unresolved issue of languages in border areas of many states, he said that all languages are equal and any issue related to the language must not divide people. We are one people, one nation and this is our uniqueness. We believe that food, region, language must not become tools to divide but must unite us all, he said.
