The foreign ministry summoned Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Pranay Verma and handed a protest note yesterday, a day after the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala was attacked by protesters of the Hindu Sangharsh Samity.
Hours after the attack, the foreign ministry said the Bangladesh government deeply resents the violent demonstration and attack, which was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Following the attack, the Bangladesh mission in Agartala suspended all visa and consular services until further notice, citing security issues.
The Bangladesh foreign ministry did not issue any statement or speak to the media regarding the summoning of the Indian envoy.
“He has been asked to come,” Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain told the media yesterday, minutes before Verma entered the ministry around 4:00pm for a meeting with acting foreign secretary Riaz Hamidullah.
However, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, during a media briefing at the Foreign Service Academy, yesterday said, “We have issued a protest letter and conveyed our concerns. The foreign ministry has engaged with the Indian authorities diplomatically.”
During the meeting, Verma said the authorities in India has beefed up security for the Bangladesh missions in New Delhi, Kolkata and Agartala, according to sources.
Speaking to journalists after the nearly a half an hour meeting, the Indian envoy said the wide-ranging and multifaceted Indo-Bangla relationship cannot be stuck on one issue.
He also said India wants to build a constant, stable, and constructive relationship with Bangladesh.
“We are ready to engage with Bangladesh’s interim government and are committed to working together to achieve our shared aspirations in peace, security, and development.”
Verma said India and Bangladesh have many things to collaborate on and there have been many positive developments in different areas, including power supply, essential commodities, and trade.
INDIAN MEDIA BLAMED FOR ATTACK
Speaking to journalists yesterday, CA’s Press Secretary Shafiqul said the attack on the Bangladesh mission in Agartala is the result of Indian media spreading misinformation on the minority issues in Bangladesh.
“The misinformation campaign is showing that something dangerous is happening in Bangladesh. I will put the blame on the Indian media for this.”
He said Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, during his conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said a campaign was being carried out on alleged minority repression in Bangladesh, and requested him to send Indian journalists to Bangladesh so that they can see the ground realities.
“They can investigate into what is happening — if the violence is there. I also requested the Indian media to visit Bangladesh,” Yunus had said.
Shafiqul said unfortunately, the Indian media are citing reports of the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (HBCUC) and other sources of their liking.
He said a Netra News investigation showed a HBCUC report contained distorted information. The report showed nine people were killed in attacks on minorities, but actually not every death was related to communal violence. “Those were mainly personal or political in nature.”
The report of the HBCUC was “cited by the media 11 million times”, and unfortunately, the HBCUC did not issue a single statement on the Netra News report nor did it revisit its own report.
“We also called upon the global human rights bodies to come and see. We are not stopping anyone from coming here. We have openness. We are transparent in our activities,” the press secretary said.
However, those blaming the Bangladesh government of not open to accepting anything are only pretending to listen to the Bangladesh government, Shafiqul said.
The Indian media is spreading misinformation without verification, and as a result, a section of Indian people are inciting violence, he said.
The press secretary said the citizen groups, political parties, and the civil society should be vocal about it because the Indian media outlets are “trying to put the Bangladesh government on trial”.
He said Bangladesh wants good relations with India, which is a big neighbour, but that should be based on fairness and equity.
Daily Star