Dhaka:
Bangladesh today summoned India’s envoy to Dhaka, hours after closing its visa and consular office in Tripura following a security incident yesterday. Tensions between both countries are high amid violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma arrived at the Foreign Ministry Office in Dhaka at 4 pm local time.
“The Indian High Commissioner has been summoned by acting foreign secretary Reaz Hamidullah,” Bangladesh’s state-run news agency said. Hours earlier, a notice from the Bangladesh High Commissioner’s office in Tripura stated that “Given the security situation, all visa and consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission, Agartala will remain suspended until further notice.”
It also stated that “This comes into effect immediately”.
Around 50 people had participated in a massive protest against the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Agartala yesterday.
During the protest, they entered the premises of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission. This drew a sharp response from the interim government in the neighbouring country. Dhaka alleged that local police were “not found to be active in containing the situation”. It said the incident had left the mission staff with a “deep sense of insecurity” and called upon New Delhi to take “immediate action”.
The Ministry of External Affairs responded that the incident in “deeply regrettable”. “Diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances. Government is taking action to step up security arrangements for the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and their Deputy/Assistant High Commissions in the country,” a statement said.
The number of cops at the Bangladesh mission in Agartala has been stepped up after yesterday’s incident.
After the meeting, the Indian High Commissioner said, “We have a wide-ranging, multi-faceted relationship, and as I have said before, you cannot reduce it to one issue or one agenda. We are working across many issues. We (India) always wants to build a positive, stable and constructive relationship. There are many interdependencies we have and we want to build on that to mutual benefit.”
He further said that “We will keep ensuring that our cooperation benefits our two peoples. The number of positive developments to our relationship in the last few months – from trade, to power transmission, to supplying essential commodities – we have maintained a lot of positivity in our relationship.”
“We are also willing to work with the interim government in Bangladesh. We are committed to work with them to fulfil our shared aspirations for peace, security and development.”
India has taken up the issue of Hindus being targeted in Bangladesh and priests being arrested by the authorities in Bangladesh. There have also been multiple incidents of violence, vandalism and desecration targeting the minority Hindu community.
