Overview
- MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the violence a matter of grave concern, citing independent documentation of more than 2,900 incidents against minorities under the interim government.
- Two recent mob killings were highlighted: garment worker Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh on December 18 and Amrit Mondal in Rajbari this week, with Bangladeshi investigators saying they found no evidence Das posted blasphemous content and police reporting arrests in his case.
- Diplomatic friction has intensified, with both capitals summoning envoys; Bangladesh halted visa services in New Delhi and Agartala and at Siliguri, while India paused services at its Chittagong mission.
- Protests in India have escalated, including a Kolkata march led by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission where police later arrested 12 demonstrators, alongside earlier demonstrations outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.
- India rejected anti-India narratives linked to the unrest after student leader Sharif Osman Hadi’s death and framed Tarique Rahman’s return to Dhaka in the context of its call for free, fair and inclusive elections on February 12.