Some Indian nationals formed a mob at the gate of Bangladesh Bhaban, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, on Saturday night (20 December).
They shouted slogans and issued threats against Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah.
When contacted, Bangladesh’s Press Minister in New Delhi, Md Faisal Mahmud, told Jago News that between 8:30pm and 8:45pm on Saturday, a group of individuals arrived in three vehicles and stood in front of the gate of Bangladesh Bhaban, shouting slogans for some time. They were speaking in a mix of Bengali and Hindi. During the incident, slogans such as “Hindus must be protected” and “Catch the High Commissioner” were heard.
He further said that the individuals later moved closer to the main gate, shouted for a short while, and then left. However, no physical attack was carried out, and no objects were thrown.
Responding to a question about whether threats to kill the High Commissioner were made, the Press Minister said it was possible. He said the individuals were heard saying, in a mix of Hindi and Bengali, that “if Hindus are killed there, we will kill all of you.” However, he clarified that the incident involved verbal threats and shouting only, and no physical violence occurred.
Immediately after the incident, High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah held an emergency meeting with the Defence Wing of the Bangladesh High Commission. An official from the Defence Wing informed him that the individuals had shouted briefly and left, and that no further untoward incident had taken place.