India has condemned a mob attack on a Bangladeshi consulate and promised to beef up security as relations between Delhi and Dhaka continue to sour following the overthrow of the Sheikh Hasina government.
A mob of around 50 people entered the Bangladeshi mission in Agartala in the northeast Indian state of Tripura on Monday after breaking down its main gate.
The intruders vandalised property and desecrated the Bangladesh national flag, leaving the staff with a "deep sense of insecurity", the country’s interim government said, calling it a “heinous attack” on a diplomatic mission.
The attack occurred as about 4,000 people protesting the treatment of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh took to the streets in the northeastern state, which borders Bangladesh.
“The incident of the breach of premises at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala is deeply regrettable,” the Indian foreign ministry said on Monday.
“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 its Assistant High Commissions in the country.”
Reports of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh have sparked protests in India against the interim government in Dhaka. The latest protest came after the arrest of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das last week. Mr Das, the leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in the country, was detained on a sedition charge after a magistrate court denied him bail.
He had been leading rallies demanding security for Hindus in the country since mass street protests ousted Ms Hasina in August.
The priest’s arrest sparked protests by his supporters who violently clashed with security forces, leading to the death of a lawyer.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry called on India to take immediate action against the protesters who broke into its Tripura consulate.
The mob was allowed to enter the consulate in a “pre-planned manner”, it said, and they vandalised the premises in the presence of local law enforcement personnel.
The Tripura police said on Tuesday they had arrested seven members of a Hindu group and charged them with breaking into the consulate and vandalising property. They were part of the protest organised by the Hindu Sangharsha Samiti, a group that claims to protect Hindu interests.
“Around 50 of them broke into the property’s main gate and brought down the Bangladeshi flag post,” district police officer Kiran Kumar K in West Tripura said.
He also said police had taken disciplinary action against four officers who were in charge of providing security to the Bangladesh consulate.
The attack on the consulate came as some hospitals in Kolkata and Tripura announced they would no longer treat Bangladeshi patients in protest against the desecration of the Indian flag in Dhaka.
An association of hotel and restaurant owners in Tripura said it would not serve guests from Bangladesh in protest against the desecration of the flag and the treatment of Hindus in the neighbouring country.
"We are a secular country and have respect for all religions. Our national flag has been desecrated and minorities are facing oppression by a section of fundamentalists in Bangladesh,” said Saikat Bandyopadhyay, general secretary of the association.
“The prevailing situation in Bangladesh is really worrisome. We serve the people who are coming to Tripura for various purposes. We condemn the treatment meted out to minorities in Bangladesh.”
Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar told the parliament last week New Delhi had taken note of the violence against minorities in Bangladesh.
“The primary responsibility for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens of Bangladesh, including minorities, rests with the government of Bangladesh,” he said.
Fear of prosecution has prompted scores of Hindus to flee the country while many have been staging protests for safety of their homes, businesses and places of worship.
According to the Associated Press, there have been more than 2,000 attacks on the minority community since Ms Hasina’s ouster. Hindus make up roughly 8 per cent of Bangladesh’s population.
