India summons Bangladesh commissioner for second time in a week as ties remain tense

India summons Bangladesh envoy for second time in a week as ties remain tense

• India and Bangladesh summoned each other's envoys over mission security concerns.
• Both sides cited violent protests and vandalism targeting diplomatic premises
• India urged Bangladesh to secure Indian missions and dismissed false narratives.

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India summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah hours after Dhaka called in Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to convey its concerns over the security of Bangladeshi diplomatic missions in India.

Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said Pranay Verma was summoned earlier in the day, during which Dhaka conveyed its “grave concern over the regrettable incidents” that occurred outside the perimeter of the Bangladesh High Commission and the High Commissioner’s residence in New Delhi on December 20. The ministry also referred to “acts of vandalism” at the Bangladesh Visa Centre in West Bengal’s Siliguri on December 22, alleging that the incidents were carried out by “different extremist elements”.

The Bangladeshi side further expressed “deep concern” over violent protests staged outside the premises of various Bangladeshi diplomatic missions across India, according to an official statement.

During the earlier summon of Hamidullah, India had lodged a strong protest with Bangladesh over what it described as a “deteriorating security situation” around Indian diplomatic missions in Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs said it had conveyed its concerns to the Bangladesh envoy over the activities of what it termed “extremist elements” targeting Indian diplomatic premises.

“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Indian missions and posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that Hamidullah’s attention was drawn to announcements by certain groups aimed at creating a security situation around the Indian Mission in Dhaka.

India also rejected what it described as a “false narrative” being propagated by extremist elements in relation to recent developments in Bangladesh. It said it was unfortunate that the interim government had neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India regarding the incidents.