‘False and baseless’: MEA trashes Bangladesh’s claim of Indian role in violence
India-Bangladesh relations have been in freefall since the caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed office in Aug 2024
NEW DELHI: The external affairs ministry on Friday dismissed as “false and baseless” a senior Bangladeshi official’s claim that India was involved in violent clashes in the neighbouring country, and said the interim government in Dhaka should instead conduct serious investigations into the activities of local extremists.
After violent clashes between two tribal groups and Bengali-speaking people at Khagrachhari district in Chittagong Hill Tracts in southwestern Bangladesh left three people dead and dozens injured last weekend, de-facto home minister Jahangir Alam Chowdhury alleged on Monday that the unrest was being instigated by India or fascist elements.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to Chowdhury’s remarks during a weekly media briefing by dismissing them as baseless allegations. He urged Bangladesh’s caretaker administration to conduct an investigation to identify the extremist elements involved in targeting minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
“We categorically reject these false and baseless allegations. The interim government of Bangladesh is unable to maintain the law and order situation in the country and has this habit of routinely trying to shift the blame elsewhere,” Jaiswal said.
The interim government “would do well to introspect and conduct serious investigations into the action of local extremists committing violence, arson and land grab against the minority communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts”, he said.
India-Bangladesh relations have been in freefall since the caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed office in August 2024 after the fall of the government led by former premier Sheikh Hasina following weeks of protests led by student groups. The two sides have routinely traded charges, with the Indian government accusing the caretaker administration of failing to prevent the oppression of Bangladesh’s minorities.
The violence in Khagrachhari district erupted after the alleged rape of schoolgirl last week. Three tribal men were reportedly shot dead and dozens were injured in clashes last Sunday, and numerous shops and homes were also vandalised or burnt.
Members of tribal groups clashed with Bengali-speaking people and security forces over the weekend, and army personnel and policemen were among those injured in firing. While talking to reporters in Dhaka on Monday, Chowdhury claimed elements with vested interests were trying to destabilise the situation in Khagrachhari. “This is happening with instigation from India or fascists,” he was quoted as saying by UNB news agency.
