Protestors vandalise Bangladesh mission in Agartala, MEA says violence ‘deeply regrettable’
Bangladesh alleged that the police did not take action against the violence, and that demonstrators were allowed to barge into the premises in a planned manner.
A group of protestors on Monday breached the security of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala and engaged in vandalism, The Hindu reported.
Protestors from a group named the Hindu Sangharsh Samiti on Monday forced their way into the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala, pulled down Bangladesh’s national flag and damaged items.
The Bangladeshi Assistant High Commission in Agartala (Tripura, India) was attacked by extremist Hindutva gang. The national flag of Bangladesh has been desecrated.
— Rupom Razzaque (@rupom) December 2, 2024
What do they really want to achieve?
We strongly condemn this attack and call upon the Government of India to… pic.twitter.com/Y6ZWGtqVI4
India’s foreign ministry described the acts as “deeply regrettable” and said that diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances.
“Government is taking action to step up security arrangements for the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and their Deputy/Assistant High Commissions in the country,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said it “deeply resents” the attack and urged India to thoroughly investigate it. It said that the attack violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which requires that diplomatic missions be protected.
Bangladesh pointed to an incident from November 28, when protestors in Kolkata reportedly burned the Bangladeshi national flag during a demonstration. It urged Indian authorities to prevent any further violence at diplomatic missions of Bangladesh in India.
On the violence in Agartala, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry alleged that protestors were “allowed to aggress into the premises” in a planned manner, and that they engaged in vandalism in the presence of law enforcement officials. It alleged that the police “were found not to be active” in containing the situation.
Protest against Hindu leader’s arrest
The Hindu Sangharsh Samiti was protesting the arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in the Bangladeshi city of Chittagong on November 25. The Hindu leader was arrested on sedition charges after he allegedly insulted Bangladesh’s national flag during a rally in Chittagong on October 25.
Das is the spokesperson of the Sammilito Sanatani Jagaron Jote, an organisation that advocates for the rights of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. He was formerly associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON.
India on November 26 said it was deeply concerned about Das having been arrested and denied bail. It said that the arrest came after “multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh”.
However, the Bangladesh government said that the events surrounding Das’ arrest had been misconstrued. It said that all citizens of Bangladesh were free to practice their religion, and that protecting minorities was the government’s duty.
