Bangladesh on Sunday strongly rejected India’s concerns over the treatment of minorities in the country, calling them an “inaccurate, exaggerated or motivated narrative” that does not reflect the ground reality. The response came after New Delhi expressed “grave concern” over what it described as unremitting hostilities against minority communities in Bangladesh.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said attacks on minorities, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists, were a serious issue and demanded strict action against those responsible for the lynching of a Hindu youth in the Mymensingh region last week. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the situation warranted urgent attention and accountability.
‘Exaggerated, motivated narratives’
Responding to the remarks, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesperson SM Mahbubul Alam said Dhaka “categorically rejects any inaccurate, exaggerated, or motivated narratives that misrepresent Bangladesh’s longstanding tradition of communal harmony”. He alleged that there were “systematic attempts” to portray isolated criminal incidents as evidence of widespread persecution of Hindus and to use such narratives to fuel anti-Bangladesh sentiment in parts of India.
“We observe a selective and unfair bias in certain quarters, where isolated incidents are amplified, misrepresented and propagated to incite common Indians against Bangladesh, its diplomatic missions and other establishments in India,” Alam said, adding that the Indian spokesperson’s comments “do not reflect the facts”.
Dhaka on Amrit Mondal’s killing
Referring to the killing of Amrit Mondal alias Samrat in Rajbari town, Alam said the deceased was a listed criminal who died during a mob attack while allegedly attempting extortion with a Muslim accomplice. “To portray this criminal act through the lens of minority treatment is not factual but misleading,” he said.
Dhaka urged sections in India to refrain from spreading what it termed misleading narratives that could undermine the spirit of good-neighbourly relations and mutual trust between the two countries.
Bangladesh on ‘violence against minorities’ in India
Bangladesh also raised concerns over alleged incidents of violence against minorities in India. Alam referred to reports of “brutal killings, mob violence, obstruction of elections and disruption of religious events targeting Muslims, Christians and other minority communities” in India. He described them as hate crimes and targeted violence. He said Bangladesh expects Indian authorities to conduct impartial investigations and bring perpetrators to justice.
