Date : 12/26/2024
Ecclesia United International is urgently appealing for intervention from the US Committee on International Religious Freedom and the European Union in response to the violence against Christians in Bangladesh on Christmas Day.
Seventeen Christian Tripuri houses were burned in Notun Tongjhiri Tripura Para, Sarai Union of Lama Upazila, Bandarban district, in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region. The incident occurred at around 12:30 am on December 25, 2024, shortly after Christmas celebrations commenced. (Sources: Daily Star, India Today, December 26, 2024).
While the perpetrators remain unidentified, initial suspicion points to Islamic fundamentalists as responsible for the arson attack. The Indigenous Tripuris were away in another village for Christmas celebrations due to the absence of a church in their own community.
Despite victims filing a written complaint, no arrests have been made.
Ecclesia United International is calling on the Bangladesh government to take immediate and decisive action to identify and prosecute those responsible for this heinous act. Furthermore, the organization appeals to the US Committee on International Religious Freedom and the European Union to press for justice and accountability, ensuring the protection of religious minorities in Bangladesh.
Bimal John
President, Ecclesia United International