DHAKA [Bangladesh], December 30 (ANI): Bangladesh’s interim government has recalled its High Commissioner to India, M Riaz Hamidullah, to Dhaka for consultations amid growing tensions in bilateral relations between the two countries, Prothom Alo reported, citing diplomatic sources.
According to the report, Hamidullah returned to Dhaka late Monday night after receiving an urgent summons from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The recall is aimed at reviewing recent developments affecting India-Bangladesh ties.
Sources in Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the High Commissioner was asked to return from New Delhi to discuss the evolving bilateral situation following heightened tensions over the past two weeks.
Relations between the two neighbors have come under strain amid reports of atrocities against minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh.
In December, two Hindu youths were lynched to death in Bangladesh, where violence against minorities has reportedly increased since the July Uprising in 2024. Twenty-nine-year-old Amrit Mondal was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union last week. Separately, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death in a mob attack and later hanged and set on fire on December 18 after false blasphemy allegations were made against him by a co-worker at his factory in Mymensingh.
India on Friday raised serious concerns over repeated incidents of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists, and said it is closely monitoring the situation in the neighboring country.
Briefing the media in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian government was disturbed by the sustained hostility faced by minority communities.
“India is closely monitoring developments and has expressed grave concern over the continued hostility against minorities, including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists. We condemn the recent killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh and expect that the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice,” Jaiswal said.
Placing the issue in a broader context, the MEA said more than 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities have been recorded during the tenure of Bangladesh’s interim government, including killings, arson, and land grabbing.
“These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence,” the spokesperson said.
India also rejected what it described as “unremitting hostility” against minorities in Bangladesh and dismissed claims that an anti-India narrative was being circulated.
Earlier, on December 17, the MEA summoned Hamidullah to convey New Delhi’s concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Bangladesh. India has also rejected what it termed a false narrative being pushed by extremist elements regarding recent incidents.
The MEA expressed concern that the interim government had neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India. New Delhi has also called on Bangladesh’s interim government to ensure the safety and security of Indian missions and posts in the country in line with its diplomatic obligations.
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