Dhaka – Bangladesh intensified its diplomatic confrontation with India on Sunday, sharply rejecting New Delhi’s concerns about minority violence Bangladesh while simultaneously accusing murder suspects of fleeing across the border into Meghalaya. The escalating rhetoric between the neighboring nations has pushed bilateral relations to new lows, with both countries lodging formal protests over developments that threaten regional stability.
Bangladesh Rejects India’s Concerns on Minorities
The Bangladeshi foreign ministry issued a strongly worded statement on Sunday, accusing India of spreading a “misleading narrative” about the condition of minorities in the country. Dhaka contended that there exists a “selective and unfair bias” in certain quarters in India, where “isolated incidents are amplified, misrepresented and propagated to incite common Indians against Bangladesh, its diplomatic missions and other establishments in India.”
The ministry warned that spreading such “misleading narratives” regarding minority violence Bangladesh has the potential to undermine “good neighbourly relations and mutual trust” between the two countries. This statement represents the most comprehensive official response from Dhaka to growing concerns about the treatment of Hindu minorities under the interim government.
India’s Documentation of Violence Against Minorities
The Bangladeshi statement came as a direct response to comments made by Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, who had flagged “unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh” following the December 18 lynching of Dipu Chandra Das. Das was brutally beaten to death by a mob after being accused of blasphemy, an incident that drew widespread condemnation and renewed focus on minority violence Bangladesh.
Jaiswal had told a weekly media briefing that India condemns the “gruesome killing” of Das and expects the perpetrators to be brought to justice. More significantly, he revealed that over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities, including killings, arson, and land grabs, had been documented by independent sources during the tenure of the interim government in Dhaka.
“These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence,” Jaiswal emphasized, presenting a comprehensive picture of minority violence Bangladesh that contradicted Dhaka’s official narrative.
Dhaka’s Defense of Communal Harmony
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry insisted that Jaiswal’s comments “do not reflect the facts” and rejected “inaccurate, exaggerated, or motivated narratives that misrepresent Bangladesh’s longstanding tradition of communal harmony.” The ministry specifically contested characterizations of minority violence Bangladesh, arguing that “systematic attempts to portray the isolated incidents of criminal acts as systemic persecution of the Hindus” were being “used to propagate anti-Bangladesh sentiments” in India.
This defense of communal harmony stands in stark contrast to documented evidence and reports from independent observers who have tracked the deteriorating situation for minorities since the interim government took power in August 2024.
Murder Suspects Allegedly Fled to India
Adding another layer of complexity to the diplomatic tensions, Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional commissioner SN Nazrul Islam claimed on Sunday that two primary suspects in the murder of radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi had crossed into Meghalaya via the Haluaghat border “with the help of local associates.”
According to Islam, suspects Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh entered India through the Haluaghat border, where they were initially received by an individual named Purti before being transported by a taxi driver named Sami to Tura city in Meghalaya. This allegation connected the sensitive issue of minority violence Bangladesh with cross-border security concerns.
Indian Agencies Reject Bangladesh’s Claims
The Border Security Force categorically rejected Bangladesh’s allegations. BSF Inspector General OP Upadhayay stated unequivocally: “There is no evidence whatsoever of these individuals crossing the international border from the Haluaghat sector into Meghalaya. No such incident has been detected or reported by the BSF. These claims are baseless and misleading.”
A senior Meghalaya police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed there was “no input or intelligence to corroborate” the allegation from Bangladesh Police. “None of the accused named in the report have been traced in Garo Hills, and no arrests have been made. The narrative appears to have been constructed without verification or coordination with Indian authorities,” the official stated.
Also Read: Bangladesh Hindu Killing: Government Denies Communal Motive in Mob Violence
Both Meghalaya Police and BSF emphasized their openness to cooperation with Bangladesh authorities but stressed that action would be taken only on verified information shared through established formal channels, underscoring that narratives cannot substitute facts.
Deteriorating Bilateral Relations
Relations between India and Bangladesh have significantly deteriorated since the formation of Muhammad Yunus’s interim government in August 2024, following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s regime. Tensions have intensified recently after protests in Bangladesh over Hadi’s shooting—he was injured on December 12 and died in a Singapore hospital on December 18—took on an anti-India character.
The issue of minority violence Bangladesh has emerged as a central point of contention, with both sides calling in each other’s envoys to lodge formal protests. These spiraling tensions occur at a particularly sensitive time, just ahead of planned national elections in Bangladesh scheduled for February, raising concerns about further deterioration in bilateral ties.
