Bangladesh must protect rights of all religious minorities: India

Bangladesh Legal Adviser hits back saying that India has no remorse for the attacks on Muslims on its own soil.

India on Friday (November 29, 2024) reminded the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh that it “must” protect the rights of all religious minorities in the country and that the reported incidents of violence against minorities cannot be described as “media exaggeration”.

Speaking at the weekly press briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian concerns about the rights of minority religious communities had been conveyed to Dhaka.

Yunus government’s Law Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul hit back at India saying “numerous brutal incidents are taking place against the minority Muslim community on India’s own soil”.

Editorial | Targeting minorities: On the state of Bangladesh 

“India has consistently and strongly raised with the Bangladesh government the threats and targeted attacks on Hindus and other minorities. Our position on the matter is clear: the interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities,” said Mr. Jaiswal.

The remark from the spokesperson came days after Bangladesh and India exchanged sharp statements after an outspoken Hindu monk was arrested from the Shah Jalal International Airport in Dhaka. On November 26, after India expressed “deep concern” about the arrest and denial of bail to the monk – Chinmoy Krishna Das, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka had expressed “utter dismay and deep sense of hurt”.

ISKCON members under lens for money laundering

Dhaka followed up the arrest of Mr. Das with further arrests of people who were allegedly involved in the clashes that took place on Tuesday in Chittagong as he was being transported from the court to police custody. On Friday, authorities also suspended the bank accounts of 17 members of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh on suspicion of money laundering.

The escalating tension between New Delhi and Dhaka intensified on Thursday when former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina currently living in exile in India slammed the Yunus-led government describing it as “power-grabbers” who had “failed in all sectors”. She said under the watch of this government, Bangladesh was experiencing a series of attacks against members of her Awami League party and religious minorities. Ms. Hasina’s statement coincided with a major protest in Kolkata outside the Bangladesh High Commission, in which a flag of Bangladesh was allegedly set on fire.

Mr Jaiswal took note of the continuing police action and said India is “concerned at the surge of extremist incidents of violence and provocation” and added, “These developments cannot be dismissed only as media exaggeration. ISKCON is a globally well regarded organisation with a strong record of social service. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take all steps for the protection of minorities.”

Mr. Jaiswal also pitched for “fair” trial of Mr. Das, who is facing sedition charges allegedly for disrespecting the national flag of Bangladesh during a rally on October 25 demanding security for minority communities. “We expect that these (legal) processes will deal with the case in a just, fair and transparent manner, ensuring full respect for the legal rights of all concerned,” he said.

Bangladesh condemns India’s ‘duplicity’

India’s remarks were met with strong criticism from the Law Adviser of the Yunus government, who called out New Delhi for communal violence. In a Facebook post in Bengali, Dr. Asif Nazrul, one of the most vocal spokespersons of the interim arrangement, said, the Muslim community of Bangladesh had ensured security for the Durga puja pandals in October and had behaved with great patience but India continued to express “undesirable concern” about the situation in Bangladesh.

“Numerous brutal incidents are taking place against the minority Muslim community on India’s own soil. But that does not draw any remorse or hesitation from India. India’s duplicity is condemnable and objectionable,” said Mr. Nazrul.

On Friday (November 29, 2024), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh expressed “deep concern” about the protest outside the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata and “strongly” condemned the burning of the effigy of Chief Adviser Prof. Mohammad Yunus and the burning of the national flag. “The Government of Bangladesh calls upon the Government of India to take necessary measures in order to prevent occurrences of such incidents in the future,” the MoFA said in a statement and called upon India to ensure safety and security of the missions of Bangladesh in India.

Published - November 29, 2024 09:58 pm IST