Bangladesh Wants Friendly Ties With India, Says Foreign Adviser Amid Attacks On Hindus

Last Updated:December 02, 2024, 22:32 IST

Bangladesh foreign adviser Hossain said attacks on minorities are isolated and took place during other regimes as well.

Bangladesh foreign adviser Touhid Hossain had earlier dismissed reports of attacks on Hindus and minorities as propaganda. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

Bangladesh foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Monday said that Bangladesh wants a “normal and friendly" relationship with India based on mutual interests.

“We want to keep a normal relation with India based on mutual interests," he said.

According to Bangladeshi news outlet The Daily Star, Hossain briefed foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka at state guest house Padma on reports of attacks on religious minorities.

“We are not saying that there are no such incidents of attacks on minorities, but those are isolated and happen more or less during all regimes," Touhid was quoted as saying.

He also responded to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee comments where she called for the deployment of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Bangladesh and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to assure the safety and security of the religious minorities in the neighbouring country.

“I would like to see this as Mamata-like remarks. I don’t understand why she has made such remarks. (It is) as usual that goes with her persona," Hossain further added.

The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power following the stepping down of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August.

India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.

Protests outside Bangladesh missions across the country, especially in states that share borders with the country, have rocked Indian cities leading to additional security measures at those buildings.

The recent spate of protests erupted following the arrest of a Hindu, ISKCON monk Chinmay Krishna Das Prabhu. He has been charged of sedition but his supporters claim he is being persecuted for demanding an end to alleged atrocities on Hindus and other minorities of Bangladesh following the regime change.

Bangladesh foreign adviser Touhid Hossain had earlier dismissed reports of attacks on Hindus and minorities as propaganda.

“A section of the media, especially in India, is engaged in spreading such propaganda. We assured the diplomats that Bangladesh, as a society, has always upheld communal harmony," he said.

Hindus living in Bangladesh have taken to the streets on several occasions since the change of regime to demand justice for attacks on them by Islamist hardliners.

Islamist hardliners and several Bangladeshi political parties see Hindu Bengalis of Bangladesh as ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her party, Awami League’s backers and have carried out attacks on them since student-led protests led to her ouster and forced her to flee to India.

Tripura Hoteliers Temporarily Withdraw Services For Bangladeshis

Agartala, Tripura’s capital city, has been witnessing protests against alleged reports of attacks on Hindus in front Bangladesh’s mission in the city.

Protesters breached the Assistant High Commissioner (AHC) of Bangladesh in Agartala on Monday leading to the External Affairs Ministry to issue a statement where it said such breaches were “deeply regrettable".

Following these developments, the All Tripura Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Association, said its withdrawing lodging services to Bangladeshi citizens temporarily.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

News world Bangladesh Wants Friendly Ties With India, Says Foreign Adviser Amid Attacks On Hindus