DHAKA/NEW DELHI, Dec 19: Strong anti-India sentiments have gripped Bangladesh since Thursday night following the death of prominent July Uprising and anti-India leader Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore during treatment.
Security arrangements have been bolstered at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi following violent protests in Bangladesh, while the Yunus-led interim government urged citizens to resist violence perpetrated by “fringe elements” on Friday.
Hadi’s death triggered widespread unrest overnight, with protests escalating into vandalism and arson across Dhaka and other cities. No fresh incidents of violence were reported on Friday morning, though tensions remained high ahead of national elections.
Stone-throwing was reported at the Indian Assistant High Commissioner’s residence in Chattogram although there was no significant damage.
Sources from Bangladesh informed on Friday that anti-India sentiments are being continuously incited in Bangladesh.
“For each and every failure of the interim government India is blamed, especially by the so-called student leaders, who are actually extremists with established terror connections. After the death of one such provocative leader, Osman Hadi, such extremists seized the opportunity to spread violent anti-India sentiment including attacks on Indian Mission posts,” a High Commission official from Rajshahi informed The Shillong Times through a series of WhatsApp messages.
Prominent student leaders like Salahuddin Ammar, supported by Mir Farhad, and others from Rajshahi University are leading anti-India protests in Rajshahi, the official added.
Protesters, including members of the National Citizen Party (an offshoot of Students Against Discrimination), chanted anti-India slogans, alleging that the assailants of Osman Hadi fled to India. NCP leader Sarjis Alam demanded closure of the Indian High Commission until the killers are returned.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) condemned the vandalism, holding the interim government responsible.
A Hindu man was lynched to death and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Bangladesh, in the latest incident of violence against the religious minority in the country.
The deceased, identified as 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, was a factory worker in Mymensingh city.
In a statement, the interim government on Friday condemned the lynching of the Hindu man, saying there is no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh.
Das was first beaten up by a mob outside the factory over blasphemy allegations on Thursday night and hanged from a tree, police said. “After the incident, the angry crowd left the body of the deceased on the side of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and set it on fire. This stopped traffic on both sides of the highway,” Inspector (Investigation) of Bhaluka Model Police Station Abdul Malek was quoted as saying by the news portal.
The video of the incident went viral on social media.
Challenges in NE
Coinciding with these events, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and tabled in the Lok Sabha on December 18, described the situation in Bangladesh as India’s “greatest strategic challenge since the 1971 Liberation War.”
The report said the situation in Bangladesh has significant security implications for India’s Northeast region, recommending the strengthening of intelligence-sharing mechanisms as well as ensuring that it does not become a haven for groups operating against New Delhi’s security interests.
It voiced concern over the growing influence of foreign powers, particularly China, in Bangladesh’s infrastructure, port development, and defence sectors, recommending that India closely monitor these activities to safeguard its strategic interests, especially in sensitive regions like the Siliguri Corridor and the Bay of Bengal.
It highlighted the ongoing attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh, including assaults on places of worship and cultural institutions.
To address this, the committee recommended establishing a Strategic Communication and Perception Management Unit within the Ministry of External Affairs. This unit would work to counter anti-India narratives and promote factual information, enhancing India’s soft power globally.
With approximately 864 km of the India-Bangladesh border still unfenced due to challenging terrain, the committee emphasised the importance of effective border management for national security and regional stability. (With agency inputs)
