DHAKA: Amid escalating tensions between India and Bangladesh, following allegations of atrocities against minorities—particularly after members of ISKCON were arrested and alleged vandalism of its mission in the Indian state of Tripura reports emerged of the Indian High Commissioner, Pranay Verma, being summoned to Dhaka.
Verma met Bangladesh’s Acting Foreign Secretary, Riaz Hamidullah, in Dhaka on Tuesday.
"He (Verma) came as he was asked to come when we conveyed him our concerns," a Foreign Ministry official briefly said.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, High Commissioner Verma described it as a routine discussion. "We share a wide-ranging, multi-faceted relationship, and we are committed to building a positive, stable, and constructive partnership. Our interdependencies are numerous," he said.
India on Monday described as "deeply regrettable" the incident of the breach of the premises of the Bangladesh consulate in Agartala in the northeastern state of Tripura, bordering Bangladesh, by a group of people protesting the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das here.
The comments by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came hours after the protesters reportedly barged into the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh and allegedly resorted to vandalism.
Bangladesh has also suspended visa services in Agartala, citing security concerns.
Md Al-Ameen, the First Secretary at the Bangladesh mission, announced, "Given the security situation, all visa and consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala will remain suspended until further notice. This measure is effective immediately."
India, for its part, has arrested seven individuals and suspended three police personnel in connection with the incident in Agartala.
Earlier in the day, terming the vandalism at Bangladesh's diplomatic mission in Agartala as India's failure, Law Affairs Adviser in the interim government Asif Nazrul asked New Delhi to reassess its neighbour afresh after the toppling of the Sheikh Hasina regime.
"We believe in a friendship based on equality and mutual respect.
While Sheikh Hasina's government followed a pro-India policy to cling to power without elections, India must realise that this is not Sheikh Hasina's Bangladesh,"he wrote in a Facebook post.
The tension between the two neighbours simmering since August 5, when deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India, aggravated further with the arrest of the Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das last week.
Three days after Hasina fled to India following widespread protests against her Awami League-led government over a controversial job quota system, Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, took over as the Chief Adviser of the interim government.
Nazrul alleged an outfit named Hindu Sangharsh Samiti was responsible for what he described as the disgraceful act when Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala was vandalised, and Bangladesh's national flag was set on fire.
He emphasised that Bangladesh is an independent, sovereign, and self-respecting nation driven by a fearless and dynamic young generation.
(With inputs from PTI)