KOLKATA: The unrest in Bangladesh, turning the spotlight on the safety of minorities in the country, has arrived at the doorstep of East Bengal Club.
The city's famed century-old club, which has historic roots with Bangladesh and a sizeable fan base there, is feeling pained at the "persecution of minorities" since a student-led movement resulted in the fall of Sheikh Hasina's govt four months ago.
"The systematic targeting of minorities in Bangladesh has affected the supporters of our club very deeply," East Bengal Club's general secretary Rupak Saha said at a press conference on Monday.
"Most of our supporters have their ancestral roots in what is now called Bangladesh. Many of our supporters' families were victims of such attacks pre and post-partition as well as in the late 1960s and early 1970s. We have been receiving a lot of phone calls, emails, etc., from them with requests to raise this issue at the appropriate platforms. Such rampant targeting and persecution of the minorities in Bangladesh need to stop," added Saha, who hails from Tripura but is a frequent visitor to Bangladesh.
The club's move came hot on the heels of the arrest of an Iskcon monk on sedition charges in Chattogram, triggering tensions across the border.
"We keep receiving distress calls from many of our relatives based in Bangladesh. If needed, we can also approach the PM for his attention and intervention on this," senior club official Debabrata Sarkar said. "We've had such long historical and cordial ties with people in Bangladesh. What is happening to our supporters over there is very unfortunate and painful," Sarkar added.
Established in 1920 as a protest against the rejection and cold-shouldering of players hailing from the eastern side of Bengal province, East Bengal has always had a close association with East Pakistan, as Bangladesh was erstwhile known. Following the Partition in 1947, the club became the first Indian team to tour Dhaka to play a series of exhibition matches in 1950 and 1951. Then again, when Bangladesh gained Independence in 1971, the city club was the first Indian team to call on then PM Sheikh Mujibar Rahman the following year.