Bangladesh should focus on protecting the rights of its own minorities instead of “indulging in virtue signalling”, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday while rejecting statements made by Dhaka about the recent violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district amid protests against the Waqf Amendment Act.

This came a day after Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, said that Dhaka rejected any attempts to “implicate” the country in the violence in West Bengal.

Communal violence had broken out in parts of West Bengal, including Murshidabad, over the past week amid protests against the Waqf Amendment Act. At least three persons were killed and several others injured.

A waqf is an endowment under Islamic law dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property.

The recent changes to the law curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them

On Tuesday, an ANI quoted an unidentified official from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs as claiming that an initial probe into the violence in Murshidabad indicated the involvement of alleged “Bangladeshi miscreants”.

Alam said on Thursday that Bangladesh “strongly refutes” attempts to implicate the country in the communal violence in Murshidabad.

“We condemn attacks on Muslims causing loss of lives and properties,” he added. “We urge the Government of India and West Bengal to take all steps to fully protect the minority Muslim population.”

In response, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s External Affairs Ministry, on Friday said that New Delhi rejected the “remarks made by the Bangladesh side with regard to the incidents in West Bengal”.

“This is a barely disguised and disingenuous attempt to draw a parallel with India’s concerns over the ongoing persecution of minorities in Bangladesh where the criminal perpetrators of such acts continue to roam free,” stated Jaiswal.

The 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill brought changes to 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act, including allowing non-Muslims on waqf boards, restricting property donations and changing how waqf tribunals function.

The bill was cleared by Parliament on April 4. It received presidential assent on April 5. It received presidential assent on April 5 and took effect on April 8.

The statements by New Delhi and Dhaka come amid strained ties between the two countries since Sheikh Hasina resigned as the prime minister and fled to India on August 5.

Hasina fled following several weeks of widespread student-led protests against her Awami League government. She had been in power for 16 years and is considered a close ally of New Delhi.

Yunus, a Nobel laureate economist, took over as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government three days after Hasina fled. His government has said that it had sent “formal letters” requesting New Delhi to extradite Hasina but received “no official response” in the matter.

Following the collapse of the Hasina government, several parts of Bangladesh reported incidents of violence against religious minorities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged Yunus in August to ensure the safety of Hindus and other minorities. Yunus, on his part, had claimed at the time that reports of attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh had been exaggerated.