India condemns anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, flags 2,900 incidents against minorities

File image used for representational purpose.

India on Thursday expressed grave concern over another spike in cases of violence against minorites in Bangladesh, saying the unrelenting hostility faced by Hindus, Christians and Buddhists at the hands of extremists was deeply disturbing.

Addressing the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the ministry strongly condemned the recent gruesome killing of a Hindu youth and expected that those responsible would be brought to justice at the earliest. The ministry said the safety and dignity of minority communities must be ensured by the interim government of Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus.

The MEA noted that more than 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities have been documented by independent sources. These include cases of killings, arson, and land grabbing.

The statement said that during the tenure of the interim government, such incidents cannot be dismissed as media exaggerations or brushed aside as political violence. India said the pattern of attacks raises serious concerns and called on the Bangladeshi authorities to take firm and credible action to protect minorities and uphold the rule of law.

Days after Hadi's killing, his brother accused a section within the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of orchestrating the assassination to derail the upcoming national election in February.

"You had Osman Hadi killed, and now you are trying to foil the election by using this as an issue," Sharif Omar Hadi said on Wednesday.

The accusation left the Yunus administration amid its allegation of India's hand in the killing of the student leader.

Amid the unrest, another Hindu man was killed in a mob attack in Bangladesh's Rajbari district earlier this week in second such incident in less than 10 days.

The interim government claimed that the killing of 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, alias Samrat was not related to communal violence, claiming that the accused was involved in extortion and other criminal activities.

Tensions also spilled over into anti-India protests. Some youth leaders made provocative statements, and security forces had to stop protesters from marching towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. Last week, a mob also pelted stones at the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chittagong.

Bangladesh, currently run by an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, is facing rising unrest, with law and order weakening and minority communities increasingly fearful.