Dhaka, Dec 30: Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, M. Riaz Hamidullah, has returned to Dhaka after being summoned by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs amid growing strain in bilateral relations with India, local media reported on Monday.
Citing sources in the Foreign Ministry, leading Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo confirmed that Hamidullah arrived in Dhaka on Monday night following official instructions from the government. Reports indicate that the envoy was called back from New Delhi for consultations on the evolving situation in India-Bangladesh relations.
Tensions between the two neighbouring countries have escalated in recent weeks following a spate of attacks on religious minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh, along with incidents targeting Indian diplomatic missions under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
Last week, India expressed grave concern over the continuing violence against minorities, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists, and said it is closely monitoring developments in Bangladesh. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that New Delhi strongly condemned the killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh and expects the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Jaiswal noted that over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities — including killings, arson and land grabbing — have reportedly occurred during the tenure of the interim government. He asserted that such incidents cannot be dismissed as media exaggeration or attributed solely to political violence.
India also rejected what it described as a “false anti-India narrative” being projected in Bangladesh and reiterated that maintaining law and order and ensuring the safety of minorities is the responsibility of the interim government. “To portray a misleading narrative is completely false, and we reject that,” Jaiswal said.
Earlier, on December 17, the MEA had summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah to convey India’s serious concerns over the deteriorating security situation. According to the MEA, the envoy was specifically alerted to the activities of extremist elements allegedly planning to create a security threat around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
India has also criticised the interim government for not conducting thorough investigations or sharing substantive evidence regarding recent incidents and has urged Dhaka to ensure the safety of Indian missions and posts in line with its diplomatic obligations.
