Dhaka summons Indian envoy, suspends services at mission in Agartala
Bangladesh on Tuesday summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to the foreign affairs ministry office here, a day after Dhaka lodged a strong protest against the alleged vandalism of its mission in Tripura.
Bangladesh also suspended all consular services at its Assistant High Commission in Agartala until further notice because of security reasons. Regarding summoning of the Indian diplomat, a Bangladesh foreign ministry official said, “Verma came as he was asked to come when we conveyed him our concerns.”
Foreign affairs adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain earlier said the Indian envoy was asked to come to the foreign office after the Agartala incident. Verma, on the other hand, said Delhi wanted to build a “constant stable, constructive relationship” with Bangladesh saying no single issue should stand a barrier for bilateral ties.
“We are willing to engage with the interim government of Bangladesh,” he told reporters emerging from the meeting with acting foreign secretary Riaz Hamidullah.
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.
Meanwhile, all consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala were suspended.
“Given the security situation, all visa and consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission, Agartala, will remain suspended until further notice. This comes into effect immediately,” said Md Al-Ameen, the first secretary to the Bangladesh mission.
The police registered a case and arrested seven persons for their alleged involvement in the incident. Action was also taken against four policemen for dereliction of duty, said West Tripura district Superintendent of Police Kiran Kumar K.
India on Monday described as “deeply regrettable” the incident of breach of the premises of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala.
The MEA said consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances and that the government was beefing up security at the Bangladeshi missions in India following the incident.
Meanwhile, a Bangladesh court on Tuesday deferred to January 2 the hearing on the bail petition of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachary on a government plea as no lawyer appeared on his behalf.
Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on November 25 for alleged sedition. He was denied bail and sent to jail by a Chattogram court on November 26, triggering protests by his supporters.
In another development, a writ petition has been filed in the Bangladesh high court seeking a ban on the broadcast of all Indian TV channels in the country citing provocative news aired on them, according to a media report.
