Video goes viral on social media showing lawyer Gobinda Chandra Pramanik speaking out against an alleged anti-Hindu plot, accusing Christians of stealing the Vatican from Hindus. For the Bangladesh Christian Association, “This kind of hate speech is a barrier to religious harmony in the country.”
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – A Bangladesh Hindu leader has launched surreal accusations in a video that has gone viral, sowing confusion and raising concern among Christians
Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, a lawyer and secretary general of Bangladesh Jatiyo Hindu Mohajote, said, during an online seminar last Thursday, that “The Vatican was Hindu and Christians grabbed it,” just as “Muslims captured Makkah” from Hindus.
In reality, Pramanik's target is a campaign by some human rights activists to get the Bangladeshi government to change the Hindu family law so that Hindu women can inherit land.
This was enough for Hindu radicals to lash out at Christians, accused them of plotting against Hinduism with legislative measures of this kind.
Quoting the Gospel of Luke, Pramanik said that “Jesus himself came to Earth to divide” and dominate the world. He went so far as to define the God of the Bible as “satanic”.
The video went viral on social media, upsetting many Christians. One of them is Nirmol Rozario president of the Bangladesh Christian Association.
The Hindu leader “hurts the feelings of Christians,” Rozario said. “He behaves like a fool. We strongly condemn this speech.”
For the Christian leader, Pramanik should apologise, noting that “This kind of hate speech is a barrier to religious harmony in the country.”
For the head of Bangladesh Jatiyo Hindu Mohajote, this is not the first anti-Christian statement. Last month he accused Banchte Shekha (Learn to survive), a Christian NGO, of anti-Hindu propaganda.
Headed by Angela Gomes, the advocacy group backs changes to the existing Hindu family law so that women can have the right to inherit.