DM Monitoring
Amid the public uproar over the killing of prominent Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, Dhaka has rejected India’s stance on the protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.
Terming the incident “unjustifiable” and “highly regrettable”, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the incident cannot be labelled “misleading propaganda” — as argued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
“The miscreants were allowed to carry out their activities right outside the perimeters of the HC, creating panic among the personnel inside the complex,” said Bangladesh’s foreign office.
Dhaka’s response comes as a protest was held outside the Bangladesh HC under the banner of “Akhand Hindu Rashtra Sena” which New Delhi has said was against the killing of Dipu Chandra Das and for the protection of minorities in Bangladesh.
Das, a garment factory worker, was beaten to death on December 18 in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, on allegations of blasphemy, after which his body was also set ablaze, reported Prothom Alo.
In a statement, India’s MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “There was no attempt to breach the fence or create a security situation at any time. The police stationed at the spot dispersed the group after a few minutes”.
“We have noted misleading propaganda in sections of the Bangladesh media [….] Fact is that about 20-25 youth gathered in front of Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on December 20,” added Jaiswal.
“The police stationed at the spot dispersed the group after a few minutes. Visual evidence of these events is available publicly for all to see. India is committed to ensure the safety of foreign Missions/Posts in its territory in accordance with the Vienna Convention,” the statement further claimed, noting that New Delhi continues to “keep a close watch on the evolving situation in Bangladesh” and that its “officials remain in touch with Bangladesh authorities and have conveyed to them our strong concerns at the attacks on minorities”.
However, contrary to New Delhi’s stance on the protest, the Bangladesh mission officials say that the demonstrators raised anti-Bangladesh slogans and issued threats against Bangladesh High Commissioner M Riaz Hamidullah.
Countering New Delhi’s stance on the protest, Bangladesh’s foreign office said that its HC was not given advance notice on the “organised event”.
“We reject the attempt of Indian authorities to depict an isolated attack on a Bangladeshi citizen, who happens to belong to the Hindu community, as attacks on minorities,” it maintained while rebuking New Delhi’s stance on the matter.
The protest outside the Bangladesh HC comes amidst public uproar in Bangladesh over the killing of prominent Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
Hadi, 32, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka while launching his campaign for the elections. He was a spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha, or Platform for Revolution, and participated in the protests that overthrew Hasina.
His death triggered mass protests with mobs even attacking the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chittagong, as well as setting fire to multiple newspapers’ outlets in Dhaka.
Critics accused the publications of favouring neighbouring India, where Bangladesh’s ousted PM Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka in the wake of the 2024 uprising.
