Bangladesh summons Indian envoy after consulate attack

DHAKA: Bangladesh on Tuesday summoned New Delhi’s ambassador after an attack on one of its consulates in India, the latest flare-up in strained ties between the neighbours.

Relations have been frayed by the student-led uprising in August that toppled Bangladesh’s autocratic former leader Sheikh Hasina, who is now residing in India.

New Delhi has repeatedly demanded protection of Bangladesh’s minority Hindu minority community, which saw reprisal attacks in the chaotic aftermath of Hasina’s ouster because of their perceived support for her government.

Hindu activists on Monday attempted to storm a Bangladeshi consulate during a protest in Agartala, a small Indian city not far from the two countries’ shared border.

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India has condemned the breach and local police have arrested seven people.

After meeting Bangladesh foreign ministry officials, Indian High Commissioner (ambassador) Pranay Verma said his country was committed to engaging with the interim government, which took office after Hasina’s ouster to implement democratic reforms.

“This is a wide-ranging relationship, a multifaceted relationship,” Verma told reporters.

“We remain interested in working with the government of Bangladesh to fulfil our shared aspirations for security and development.”

Public sentiment in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million continues to be stacked against India, which was Hasina’s main international patron during her iron-fisted, 15-year rule.

Nahid Islam, a 26-year-old sociology graduate who played a key part in the protests against Hasina’s regime and is now part of the interim cabinet, in a post on X accused “India’s ruling elite” of “fostering hatred against Bangladesh”.

“By continuing to provide refuge and support to Sheikh Hasina, a fugitive responsible for genocide and child killings, the Indian government risks undermining shared democratic values,” he said.

“India must not forget that its stability and integrity are closely interlinked with the stability and integrity of Bangladesh.”

Students of Dhaka University – the epicentre of the revolution that led to Hasina’s ouster – on Monday evening staged rallies protesting at the attack on the Bangladeshi consulate.

A small crowd unsuccessfully tried to besiege the Indian High Commission in Dhaka later that night.

At the Dhaka University protests, students said the attack on the consulate in India amounted to undermining Bangladesh’s “sovereignty” and “independence”.

“We can clearly see that a hardline Hindu group from India, with Delhi’s provocation, is trying to hurt the sovereignty of Bangladesh,” said 30-year-old Nayeem Ahmad.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – Hasina’s main opposition during her rule – also held a protest outside its headquarters in the capital.

“The Indians have feigned sorrow but they failed to ensure security to our mission,” senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said.

Hasina meanwhile took the opportunity this week to excoriate the interim government that replaced her, headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, whom she accused of “mass murder”.

Speaking at a virtual rally alongside US-based leaders and activists of her Awami League party, the ousted premier said minority communities in the country had come under attack after her departure.

“Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians are being targeted,” she said. “Churches and several temples have been attacked.”

Bangladesh is currently seeking Hasina’s extradition to face trial for a deadly crackdown on the protest movement that ultimately toppled her.