Protests in Jammu over Venezuela, attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Separate protest demonstrations were held in Jammu city on Tuesday against the United States and Bangladesh over alleged aggression against Venezuela and atrocities against Hindus, respectively.

A protest against the United States was led CPM by MLA MY Tarigami, who termed the recent actions against Venezuela as a blatant violation of international law. Addressing the demonstrators, Tarigami said India should openly criticise the US action.

“Our country should condemn what has happened in Venezuela and convey to the world that no nation has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of another sovereign country,” he said.

He further stated that the incident was not an isolated one but a serious international issue. “The arrest of a country’s President along with his wife, handcuffed and taken to another nation, is unprecedented. Similar actions in Iraq led only to chaos and destruction. Libya, Afghanistan and Yemen were also destroyed by American imperialism, and now the President of a sovereign nation has been arrested,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) Jammu and Kashmir unit staged a strong protest in Jammu against alleged attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. The protesters also burned the Bangladeshi flag during the demonstration.

Led by party state president Manish Sahni, Shiv Sena workers held placards reading “Ensure the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh,” “Send back all Bangladeshis,” and “Conduct a surgical strike on fundamentalists.”

Sahni alleged that attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh were continuing unabated. “In the last 18 days, six Hindus have been brutally murdered. Women are being subjected to atrocities, and heinous crimes such as rape are being committed against widowed Hindu women. The Prime Minister should break his silence and ensure the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh,” he said.

Citing developments in Venezuela, SOS International—a group representing displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK)—issued an appeal seeking military intervention to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and drug trafficking networks.

Chairman of the group, Rajiv Chuni, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister stating that PoJK has been under what he described as unlawful occupation by Pakistan for the past 78 years. “Pakistan has exploited the region’s rivers, forests and minerals for its own benefit while oppressing the local population through human rights violations,” the letter stated.

The letter further claimed that PoJK has become a hub for terrorist training camps and launch pads targeting India, along with drug trafficking routes fuelling narco-terrorism and endangering national security. Referring to Venezuela, the letter said, “A compelling recent precedent is the United States’ military operations against Venezuela.”