Forced conversion of Hindus in Bangladesh: Amit Shah

India's Home Minister Amit Shah has claimed that Hindus in Bangladesh have been forcibly converted. He made this claim at an event organized on the amended Citizenship Act (CAA) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Sunday.

Amit Shah handed over citizenship certificates to 188 Hindu refugees at the ceremony.

Highlighting the Hindus of Bangladesh, he said, 'At the time of partition, the number of Hindu population in Bangladesh was 27 percent. Today it has come down to just 9 percent. Where did the rest go? They are either forcibly converted or have come here (to India) seeking refuge. Do they not have the right to live according to religion? If they cannot live with dignity in neighboring countries and seek refuge in our country, what should we do? We cannot sit by as silent spectators. This is Narendra Modi's government, you will get justice.'

Amit Shah said that CAA is not only about citizenship but will ensure justice and rights of millions of people who were deprived of justice from 1947 to 2014 due to appeasement politics of Congress and its allies.

He said, 'Being Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or Jain, they have been tortured in neighboring countries. They were also tortured in their own country. The appeasement politics of the India alliance did not do justice to them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave them justice.'

India's home minister said, 'At the time of independence, India was divided on the basis of religion and minorities were persecuted in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Minority families were displaced. As a result, the rich were also forced to become vegetable sellers in various Indian cities. For these reasons, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been enacted.

He said that after partition, Congress leaders had promised to grant citizenship to refugees from neighboring countries, including Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. But as elections approached, they backed away from the decision.