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Bangladesh seeks security for mission and staff in Guwahati
India’s high commissioner Riva Ganguly Das was called in by Bangladesh’s acting foreign secretary Kamrul Ahsan on Thursday evening over the matter. The development came hours after Bangladesh’s foreign and home ministers called off planned visits to India after the citizenship bill was passed by Parliament.
Bangladesh has protested against an alleged attack on the motorcade of one of its diplomats and the vandalisation of signposts near its chancery in Guwahati during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and sought security for its mission and staff.
India’s high commissioner Riva Ganguly Das was called in by Bangladesh’s acting foreign secretary Kamrul Ahsan on Thursday evening over the matter. The development came hours after Bangladesh’s foreign and home ministers called off planned visits to India after the citizenship bill was passed by Parliament.
Though Bangladesh officially attributed the foreign minister’s decision to put off his visit to domestic events that required his presence, it is believed the move was aimed at conveying Dhaka’s disquiet over remarks by senior Indian ministers regarding the treatment of minorities in the neighbouring country.
State-run BSS news agency quoted a statement from Bangladesh’s foreign ministry as saying that Ahsan “protested about the attack on the convoy of the (Bangladesh) assistant high commissioner and vandalisation of the signposts (of the Bangladesh chancery in Guwahati)”.
Ahsan requested the Indian side to ensure “protection of personnel and property of the mission”, the statement said.
Das assured Ahsan that Indian authorities “are being immediately alerted to enhance security of the Bangladesh chancery and its assistant high commissioner’s residence in Guwahati”. The Indian authorities had “already taken enhanced security measures” to protect the mission, its staff and members of their families.
There was no immediate response from officials in New Delhi.
According to reports, protestors damaged two signposts near the Bangladeshi mission on Thursday. On Wednesday, a security vehicle escorting Bangladesh’s assistant high commissioner was allegedly attacked by protestors as he was travelling from the airport to Guwahati city.
The Bangladesh foreign ministry acknowledged in its statement that the alleged “attack on the convoy of the assistant high commissioner and vandalisation of the signposts is a one-off incident and it will not affect the excellent bilateral relations”.
Violent protests have broken out across Assam against the CAB and authorities have imposed curfew in Guwahati.
