NEW DELHI, Dec 2 : A large mob waving saffron flags surrounded the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission building in Agartala on Monday afternoon, and set fire to the Bangladesh national flag, in protest against the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka.
The Indian government termed as deeply regrettable the breaching of security at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission building in Agartala and said it is taking action to step up security arrangements for the other Bangladeshi establishments in the country.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances.
“The incident earlier today of the breach of premises at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala is deeply regrettable. Diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances. Government is taking action to step up security arrangements for the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and their Deputy/Assistant High Commissions in the country.”
The protest, organized by the Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, began with a protest held in front of the Assistant High Commission office.
After the shouting of slogans, a six-member delegation from the organization went inside the office to submit a memorandum.
However, during this time, some miscreants outside the office entered the Bangladesh mission premises and vandalized it, tearing down the Bangladesh national flag and setting fire to some signboards.
Visuals on social media showed the mob shouting slogans as they crowded around the Agartala mission of the Bangladesh government, even as the police persons watched helplessly.
In a statement, the Bangladesh interim government said it “deeply resents” the “violent demonstration and attack” by a large group of protesters of the Hindu Sangharsh Samity of Agartala on the premises of the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala.
The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlined that this “heinous attack” on a diplomatic mission of Bangladesh and desecration of the national flag of Bangladesh comes in a pattern, further to a similar violent demonstration in Kolkata on 28 November 2024.
“This particular act in Agartala stands in violation of the inviolability of diplomatic missions, as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, asks for,” Dhaka said.
On November 28, a similar protest organized by the Hindu group Bongio Hindu Jagran took place outside the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata.
The demonstration turned violent as protesters broke through police barricades, reaching the commission’s boundary.
During the unrest, the Bangladeshi national flag and an effigy of the chief adviser were set on fire.
On Monday, upon receiving news of the vandalism, top officials of the Tripura Police inspected the scene and spoke with High Commission officials.
In a related incident, protests were also held in Cooch Behar, where the Sanatani Hindu Manch burned an effigy of the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
Additionally, a protest procession was held in Changrabandha near the Bangladesh border, with tight security in the area.
Protests continued at the Petrapole border in India, led by West Bengal opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, to highlight the “persecution of minorities” in Bangladesh and announced plans for a long-term blockade at the border if the situation does not improve.
Relations between the two neighbours have turned tense since the August 5 ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government, with the army-backed Interim government taking over. The arrest and denial of bail to Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das by the Bangladesh government has led to loud protests by Hindu groups and the ISKCON in India and abroad.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has been holding prayer meetings and kirtans at its Albert Road center in Kolkata, demanding the release of Chinmoy Krishna Das and expressing concern over the plight of religious minorities in Bangladesh.
ISKCON spokesperson Radharaman Das reported that Bangladesh had stopped 63 of their Brahmacharis from entering India through the land border crossing, despite having valid visas and documents.
ISKCON has organized processions and prayer meetings across West Bengal to protest the arrest of their monks in Bangladesh.
(UNI)
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