'Beta baap ko challenge kar rha hai': Pradyot Debbarma's fiery speech over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Manikya Debbarma on Saturday came down heavily on the extremists in Bangladesh for targeting Hindus and said that it was upsetting to see people were silent in India. He said politics and posts should not prevent people in the country from stating the truth and stand up for what is happening in Bangladesh.

Debbarma, the scion of the erstwhile Manikya dynasty which ruled Tripura for centuries, said he stood with the minorities in Bangladesh as much as he stood for the rights of minorities in India. 

Hitting out at hardliners in Bangladesh, who have adopted an anti-India stand following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, the TIPRA Motha leader said that "these people" should not forget that the four districts of present-day Bangladesh were a part of the Tripura Kingdom. 

Debbarma suggested intervention by New Delhi if these extremists did not change their stand on India. "India government should have a plan B if these people don't change their views on us," he said in a tweet. 

The royal scion also shared a short clip of his fiery speech, where he expressed concerns over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. "My heart aches when I see that our own people, who 70 years ago were a part of Tripura, are having their houses burnt today. Their temples are being burnt. Their churches are being burnt – and we all sit silently in India."

"Our connection with other side of the border is not just 50-60 years old, it's 1000 years old. There is something in our hearts when our people are killed. And when I say 'our people', that includes Hindu Bengalis, Buddhists Chakmas, our own Tiprasa, Garos, Khasis, Manipuris, and our Muslim brothers and sisters."

"But today, what do I see in Bangladesh? The same India that hit Pakistan and gave birth to Bangladesh, that same country is now speaking against Hindustan. Beta baap ko challenge kar rha hai...beta baap ko challenge kar rha hai...baap baap hota hai, beta beta hota hai (a son is challenging his father...a son is challenging his father. A father is a father, a son is a son)."

The short video also contains an inflammatory speech by an extremist, who can be heard threatening Hindus with consequences. "I would tell the Hindus, this is not Gujarat. This is Bangladesh. I would tell the Hindus, this is not Delhi, this is Bangladesh. I would say this is not India, this is Islamic Bangladesh. Here, you will beat my brother to death and display weapons in the name of puja...if you want to play with us, come to the field, we are ready to play."

Since August 5, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amid widespread violent protests, the Hindu community in Bangladesh has faced a series of violent attacks. Their homes, temples, and properties have been targeted across the country, with reports of rape, arson, looting, forced land seizures, death threats, and coercion to leave the country.

On Friday, the Hindu community took to the streets in Dhaka to protest against the atrocities, demanding protection and justice. Thousands of Hindus from across Bangladesh gathered at the historic Central Shahid Minar in Dhaka under the banner of the Combined Minority Alliance, which urged the Muhammad Yunus-led government to accept their eight-point demand to ensure the safety and well-being of minority communities.

India Today recently reported that amid a surge of violence against Hindus, fundamentalists were now protesting the celebration of Durga Puja in Bangladesh. Videos circulating on social media show radical groups taking to the streets and shouting slogans like "Pujo hote debo na" (Won't allow Durga Puja). Radical Islamist groups are increasingly making provocative remarks against Hindus and demanding the implementation of Sharia law.