New Delhi envoy to Dhaka, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, assured him the latter through meetings with Bangladeshi Foreign Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain, where there were attacks on minorities there. Misri termed “assaults on some religious institutions and places of worship” as regrettable and underlined India wanting a “positive, constructive, and mutually beneficial relations” with Bangladesh’s transitional or the interim government.
Following the high-level talks, Misri said, “I have underlined India’s intention to work closely with the interim government of Bangladesh.” He mentioned recent incidents related to the minority community, stating concerns about their security and well-being amidst rising violence. Misri described the discussions on the unfortunate attacks on cultural and religious property as “frank, candid, and constructive.”
Misri’s visit to Dhaka marked the first high-level meeting between the two nations since the strained bilateral ties following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August this year. The Foreign Secretary began his visit by calling on his counterpart, Jashim Uddin, at the state guest house Padma. First, one-on-one talks were held, which then gave way to a formal meeting that included delegates from both the sides.
Ever since Hasina was ousted, diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained amidst countrywide anti-government protests. Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus has taken over as the Chief Adviser in the interim government. The violence against the Hindu minority in Bangladesh has increased with mobs attacking, vandalizing, and desecrating their places of worship. There have also been reports of the interim government prosecuting Hindu priests on various charges and even detaining them.
The Bangladesh administration has described the violence as a backlash against the leaders and activists of the ousted Hasina government and maintained that the Hindus were attacked because of political reasons, not religious ones.
