Meet These Assam Kids Who Became Poster Boys for Communal Amity in Bangladesh

NEW DELHI: A photo of two friends Lijesh Poddar (9) and Edwin Sutradhar (10) was displayed on the posters at the recent protest by Awami League in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The Father of one of the children, Litton Podder later recognized his son Lijesh after watching the news on a private news channel of Bangladesh. He confirmed the boy as his son after watching the news many times and then got surprised to realize that his son's pictures were included in the placards of protest in Dhaka. The protest by Awami League in Dhaka was led against the attack on the Hindu community in Bangladesh.

Litton Podder in a statement said that the photograph of his son with his friend representing the two religions was captured by a photographer named Tapas Pal from Bongaigaon. Tapas took the image of two friends Lijesh and Edwin with the purpose of doing something different and creative so he dressed Lijesh as a Hindu boy and Edwin as a Muslim showing both in the photo as friends in arms. Litton said that he is extremely delighted to know that his son and Edwin have become the poster boys for peace and communal brotherhood in Bangladesh.

Lijesh Poddar and Edwin Sutradhar were primary school friends hailing from lower Assam. Lijesh at present studies in class 3 and Edwin in class 4 both belong from different schools. In the year 2020, Rahul Gandhi posted their picture on his Twitter writing that the pandemic is an opportunity for the country to unite keeping the differences of religion and ca aside by coming together to defeat the virus with the central idea of empathy, compassion, and self-sacrifice.

The picture was shared by many politicians including an MP from Rajasthan and the President of Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Lurin Jyoti Gogoi. But this time the picture being shared in posters of protest in Dhaka became a greater cause.

Notably, rallies were organized in Bangladesh by thousands of members from the Bangladeshi ruling party to fight against communal violence. The protests were held to make it clear that the people of Bangladesh will not allow communal hatred and never tolerate communal differences on its soil. The huge rally was attended by the main leaders of the Awani party and was marched up to Shahid Minar as numerous people seeking religious peace and harmony joined the gathering.

In the communal violence, many homes were burned and six people were brutally killed that including 2 Hindu men. In the Noakhali district in the southeast, Muslims protested for using Quran in the communal violence.

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