NEW DELHI: India on Friday expressed concern over Bangladesh's release of “violent extremists” and emphasised that it is the interim government's responsibility to protect Hindus, other minorities and their religious institutions, while also advocating for inclusive and participatory elections.
Answering a volley of questions on the internal situation in Bangladesh, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We support a stable, peaceful, inclusive and progressive Bangladesh in which all issues are resolved through democratic means and by holding inclusive and participatory elections.”
He then said India remains “concerned about the deteriorating law & order situation, further exacerbated by the release of violent extremists, who were sentenced for serious crimes.”
“We have repeatedly underlined that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect the Hindus and other minorities, as well as their properties and religious institutions,” he said.
Speaking on the attacks on minorities, the spokesperson noted that only 1254 incidents out of over 2374 reported from August 5, 2024 to February 16, 2025 have been verified by the police.
“Further, 98 per cent of these 1254 incidents were deemed political in nature,” he said.
“We expect Bangladesh to thoroughly investigate and bring all perpetrators of killings, arson and violence to justice without making such distinctions,” he said.
The spokesperson also pointed out that the security situation and long-standing local issues have affected the pace of implementation of development cooperation.
“Development cooperation is a priority area of our relations with the people of Bangladesh. The recent security situation and long-standing local issues have affected the pace of implementation of some of these projects,” said Jaiswal.
He added that official discussions have "focused on rationalising the project portfolio and executing mutually agreed projects in a time bound manner."
Commenting on the approach to these projects, he said, “Subject to obtaining the committed support and pending clearances from the Bangladesh side, we plan to take these projects forward.”