India has dismissed Bangladesh’s call to ensure the protection of Muslim minorities in West Bengal following recent communal violence, triggering a diplomatic exchange between the two neighbors.
Bangladesh’s interim government urged both the Indian central and West Bengal state governments to take all necessary steps to safeguard Muslim minorities after violent unrest broke out in Murshidabad. The appeal, made by Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, was firmly rejected by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the statement from Dhaka “misleading and deceptive,” accusing Bangladesh of deflecting from its own minority issues. “Rather than issuing baseless remarks, Bangladesh should focus on protecting its own minority communities,” said Jaiswal.
He criticized Dhaka’s attempt to draw attention to Indian Muslim security, asserting that perpetrators of crimes against minorities in Bangladesh continue to roam freely.
Earlier, the Bangladeshi official had condemned efforts to link Bangladesh with the unrest in Murshidabad, where demonstrations over a new Waqf law turned violent. The protests reportedly included arson, road blockades, and stone-pelting across multiple districts including Malda and South 24 Parganas.
LND/BG
