India and Bangladesh on Tuesday brought in each other’s envoys to lodge protests over recent incidents impacting bilateral relations, even as protests erupted in several parts of the country, including near the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi.
Indian high commissioner Pranay Verma was summoned to the foreign ministry in Dhaka by foreign secretary Asad Alam Siam in the morning to protest against “regrettable incidents” outside the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi and vandalism at a visa centre in Siliguri.
Bangladesh high commissioner Riaz Hamidullah was called in by B Shyam, the joint secretary heading the external affairs ministry’s Bangladesh-Myanmar division, late in the evening. He was informed of the need for a proper investigation into the recent killing of Bangladeshi radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, people familiar with the matter said.
“Instead of jumping the gun and blaming India for Hadi’s death, there should be a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators,” one of the people cited above said. They added that unsubstantiated allegations about an Indian hand in Hadi’s killing had triggered anti-India protests in Bangladesh, including an attempt by a mob to storm the Indian assistant high commission in Chittagong last week.
The developments reflect fresh tensions straining bilateral ties, already at an all-time low. This was the second time in 10 days Verma was summoned in Dhaka, while Hamidullah was summoned to the external affairs ministry last week over the deteriorating security situation in Bangladesh.
A readout issued in Dhaka said the foreign ministry conveyed its “grave concern” to Verma over “regrettable incidents outside the perimeter of the Bangladesh high commission and residence in New Delhi” on December 20, and acts of vandalism at the Bangladesh visa centre in Siliguri on December 22 by “extremist elements”.
“Bangladesh also expressed deep concern over violent protests staged outside the premises of the different diplomatic missions of Bangladesh in India,” the readout said.
There was no official word from the external affairs ministry on Tuesday’s developments. The people cited above said there could be no equivalence between the violent protest outside India’s assistant high commission in Chittagong on December 18 and the demonstrations outside Bangladesh’s diplomatic facilities in India.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal led protests in New Delhi on Tuesday, while demonstrations were also held in Kolkata, Mumbai and Jammu. In the national capital, hundreds of protesters holding saffron flags faced off with police near the fortified Bangladesh high commission.
Protesters burnt effigies of Bangladesh’s interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus and carried placards with messages such as: “Hindu rakt ki ek ek boond ka hisaab chahiye (Each drop of blood of a Hindu must be accounted for)”.
A 1,500-strong police force was deployed near the mission, which was secured with seven layers of barricades. Police said they managed to hold the protesters about 800 metres from the high commission, though “more than 500 metres” was the estimate given by one of the people cited above.
The protests were sparked by the recent lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old Hindu garment factory worker, in Baluka in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district. Das was beaten to death over allegations of blasphemy and his body was tied to a tree and burnt.
Following a protest outside the Bangladesh high commission over Das’s killing late on Saturday night, India dismissed reports of a security breach at the mission as “misleading propaganda”, expressed concern at the “horrendous killing” of the Hindu man and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry contested India’s description, terming the killing of Das “an isolated attack” that should not be depicted as an attack on minorities. The war of words came against the backdrop of a sharp downturn in bilateral ties following anti-India protests in Bangladesh over Hadi’s killing.
Protests were organised near India’s missions in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi last week after some Bangladeshi student leaders and politicians claimed Hadi’s killers had sneaked into India. However, Bangladesh Police announced over the weekend that the assailants’ whereabouts were unknown.
Bangladesh has suspended visa services at its missions in New Delhi and Agartala and at the centre in Siliguri, while India has suspended services only at the mission in Chittagong.
Since the collapse of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government and the formation of the caretaker administration led by Muhammad Yunus in August 2024, the two sides have repeatedly clashed on a number of issues, with New Delhi accusing Dhaka of failing to prevent attacks on minorities.
Meanwhile, Yunus expressed “profound sorrow” over the killing of Das and extended condolences to his family on Tuesday. Bangladesh’s de facto education minister CR Abrar visited Das’s family in Mymensingh to convey the government’s sympathy and assurance of support, an official statement said.
Abrar described the killing as a “heinous criminal act with no justification” and said allegations, rumours or differences of belief can never excuse violence. He assured the family that authorities would ensure justice through due process.
Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies have arrested 12 people in connection with Das’s lynching and the interim government has “directed that the case be pursued fully and without exception”.