Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrives in Dhaka to discuss bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh
Dhaka: According to sources, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning to talk about India-Bangladesh bilateral relations. This is the first formal high-level visit since Muhammad Yunus‘s interim administration assumed power in Bangladesh.
The visit coincides with recent allegations of an increase in violence in Bangladesh against minorities and the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spiritual leader, in Chittagong.
By taking part in the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) mechanism set up between the two nations, the delegation headed by their respective foreign secretaries is anticipated to address the general topics of bilateral relations.
Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary of the interim administration of Bangladesh’s chief advisor, said on December 4 that the two nations’ foreign secretaries will discuss topics of shared interest.
On the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September of this year, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Md. Touhid Hossain, the foreign advisor (minister) of the interim government of Bangladesh. They agreed to hold FOC between Bangladesh and India and to keep their “good working relationship” intact.
In the meanwhile, there are still reports of violence in Bangladesh against minorities. On the outskirts of Dhaka, another Hindu temple was purportedly set on fire on December 6. Late Friday night, there was an assault on the Mahabhagya Lakshminarayan Mandir in Dhor village, which is north of Dhaka.
According to Babul Ghosh, the temple’s administrator, a complaint has been made against unnamed criminals for setting his ancestral temple on fire. In an interview with ANI, Ghosh said that the assailants doused the idols with gasoline while he was gone from the home and fled when they heard his footsteps. In addition, he said that the assailants’ “ulterior motives” went beyond just setting the idols on fire.
On suspicion of sedition, spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das is still detained. The interim administration in Bangladesh has been under pressure from the Ministry of External Affairs to guarantee the individual’s legal rights and a fair and open trial.
According to edition’ allegations, Chinmoy Krishna Das, a member of the Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was detained in Dhaka on November 25. The arrest came after a local legislator filed a complaint on October 31 alleging that Chinmoy Das and others had disrespected Bangladesh’s national flag during a Hindu community event. A Bangladeshi court scheduled the case’s next hearing for January 2, 2025, on December 3.
