Hours after India expressed concern over a mob breaching security of Bangladesh consulate in Tripura and termed the incident ‘deeply regrettable’, Dhaka not only suspended operations there but also summoned the Indian envoy to its Foreign Office. Protesters breached the premises of Bangladesh’s Agartala consulate over the arrest of a Hindu monk in the neighboring country.
Tuesday’s events further strained relations between the two nations, which have already been tense since Sheikh Hasina’s removal as prime minister in August. India has raised concerns about the targeting of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The matter was also discussed in the Indian Parliament on Tuesday and in the British House of Commons the previous day.
New Delhi earlier called the breach at the Agartala mission “deeply regrettable”. Tripura Police said seven people have been arrested and action taken against four policemen over the incident. Bangladesh had said its flag was desecrated. Emerging from the meeting with acting Bangladesh foreign secretary Riaz Hamidullah in Dhaka, Indian envoy Pranay Verma said Delhi wanted to build a “constant stable, constructive relationship” and no single issue should stand as a barrier to bilateral ties.
“We are willing to engage with the interim government of Bangladesh,” he told reporters. Earlier, Bangladesh’s Law Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul asked New Delhi to reassess its ties with Bangladesh after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. “We believe in a friendship based on equality and mutual respect. While Sheikh Hasina’s government followed a pro-India policy to cling to power without elections, India must realise that this is not Sheikh Hasina’s Bangladesh,” he wrote on Facebook.
Tensions between the two neighbours have simmered since August 5, when Hasina fled to India in the face of large-scale anti-government protests led by students. They aggravated further with the arrest of the Hindu leader last week. The mission in Tripura, a state which borders Bangladesh, on Tuesday announced the suspension of visa and consular services “until further notice”. Md Al-Ameen, the first secretary there, cited “security reasons”. (With PTI Inputs)
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