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India dismisses reports of security breach at Bangladesh high commission
India expressed concern at the ‘horrendous killing’ of a Hindu man in Bangladesh amid fresh tensions sparked by violence in the neighbouring country
New Delhi: India on Sunday dismissed reports of a security breach at the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi as “misleading propaganda” and expressed concern at the “horrendous killing” of a Hindu man in Mymensingh amid fresh tensions sparked by violence in the neighbouring country.
A group of protesters that gathered near the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi on Saturday was dispersed by police, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, reiterating that the government is committed to the safety of all foreign missions and posts. The Indian side also called for the killers of the Hindu man named Dipu Chandra Das to be brought to justice.
About 20 to 25 youngsters gathered in front of the high commission late on Saturday and shouted slogans in “protest against the horrendous killing” of Das, Jaiswal said.
The group called for the protection of all minorities in Bangladesh, and there was “no attempt to breach the fence or create a security situation”, Jaiswal said. “The police stationed at the spot dispersed the group after a few minutes,” he said.
“India is committed to ensure the safety of foreign missions [and] posts in its territory in accordance with the Vienna Convention,” Jaiswal added.
The Indian side dismissed reports in sections of the Bangladesh media about an “attack” on the high commission as “misleading propaganda”, and Jaiswal said visual evidence of the event is “available publicly for all to see”.
Jaiswal said India is keeping a close watch on the evolving situation in Bangladesh. “Our officials remain in touch with Bangladesh authorities and have conveyed to them our strong concerns at the attacks on minorities,” he said. “We have also urged that the perpetrators of the barbaric killing of Das be brought to justice.”
Security for the Bangladesh high commission was increased on Sunday, with a small group of armed security personnel posted in the vicinity of the building in Chanakyapuri.
The lynching of factory worker Das in Mymensingh city in eastern Bangladesh on Thursday has been condemned by political parties and groups in India. Das was beaten to death by a mob that accused him of blasphemy. His body was tied to a tree and set on fire, with the images provoking revulsion in India.
Das’s lynching occurred amid widespread violent protests across Bangladesh following the death of anti-India student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Protesters tried to storm India’s assistant high commission in Chittagong and protests were organised near the high commission in Dhaka and missions in Khulna and Rajshahi. Mobs also attacked and burned the offices of two leading newspapers in Dhaka.
Hadi was seriously injured in a shooting in Dhaka on December 12 and died while being treated in Singapore on Thursday. Several Bangladeshi student leaders, involved in the movement that forced the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government in 2024, have sought to link Hadi’s killing to the former premier’s Awami League party.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain rejected the Indian side’s position on the incident in front of the Bangladesh high commission and contended that there had been a serious security failure. Speaking to reporters at the foreign ministry, he said: “The matter is not as simple as it has been presented.”
Hossain claimed a larger group was involved in the protest and said it was “unacceptable” that the people had entered a high security area. He also said there were reports of threats to the Bangladeshi envoy and his family. “They felt threatened and panicked. Security was clearly inadequate – only two security personnel were present, and they remained passive,” he said.
Hossain referred to the killing of Das and said a “Bangladeshi citizen was brutally murdered” but there is no justification for linking the incident to the broader issue of security for minority communities. He added that law enforcement agencies acted promptly and arrested several people.
