NEW DELHI: India on Friday urged Bangladesh to “swiftly and firmly” deal with attacks on minorities even as it described Dhaka’s attempts to attribute such assaults to extraneous reasons as troubling.
Bangladesh has witnessed several attacks on minority communities, especially Hindus, after the killing of radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi in December. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) said it has recorded 51 incidents of communal violence in December alone.
“We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a weekly media briefing.
“Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly. We have observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, political differences or extraneous reasons,” he said.
Jaiswal said Bangladesh’s disregard of such incidents “only emboldens the perpetrators and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among minorities”.
Among the incidents recorded by BHBCUC were 10 murders, 10 cases of theft and robbery, 23 cases of occupation of homes and business establishments and looting and arson of temples.
{{/usCountry}}Among the incidents recorded by BHBCUC were 10 murders, 10 cases of theft and robbery, 23 cases of occupation of homes and business establishments and looting and arson of temples.
{{/usCountry}}Four Hindu men have been killed in Bangladesh in January, taking the total number of casualties in incidents involving minorities since December to 14.
Last month, India said the “unremitting hostilities” against minorities in Bangladesh is a matter of “grave concern” and demanded punishment for those involved in the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.
India has repeatedly expressed concern over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. The interim government has described the charges as exaggerated.