India has urged Bangladesh’s interim government to protect minorities amid the escalating unrest in Dhaka following the killing of a political activist.
The Indian Foreign Ministry on Friday said Bangladesh’s interim government is responsible for maintaining law and order in the country.
“We condemn the recent killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said. “More than 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities have been documented by sources during the tenure of the interim government.”
Jaiswal added, “These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence.”
Bangladesh has witnessed several acts of violence since last week, when a leader of the 2024 uprising, who was shot earlier this month, died.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government was ousted during the 2024 protests.
The unrest in Bangladesh also triggered a diplomatic spat between New Delhi and Dhaka, with both countries summoning envoys.
India has repeatedly said it has never allowed its territory to be used for activities against Bangladesh.
Ties between New Delhi and Dhaka have hit a low as the latter gears up for polls early next year.
Bangladesh’s next national elections will be held on February 12. Hasina’s Awami League, which had been in power for 15 years before the uprising, has been barred from participating in the polls.