Dhaka flags minority violence in India, seeks justice

Bangladesh on Sunday expressed deep concern over recent incidents of killings and violence targeting minority communities in India and urged New Delhi to ensure impartial investigations and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson and Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing, SM Mahbubul Alam, raised the issue while speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said reports of brutal killings, mass beatings, arbitrary detentions and disruption of religious ceremonies involving minority communities – including Muslims and Christians – are a matter of serious concern for Bangladesh.

Referring to recent incidents, Alam said that this month alone there have been reports of the killing of Muslim youth Jewel Rana in Odisha, the murder of Mohammad Ataur Hossain in Bihar, the killing of an innocent person suspected of being Bangladeshi in Kerala, and multiple cases of mob violence against Muslims and Christians in different parts of India. He also expressed concern over incidents of violence against Christians reported across India last week during the celebration of Christmas.

“These incidents are viewed as hate crimes and targeted violence,” the spokesperson said. “We expect the relevant authorities in India to conduct impartial investigations into these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice. Every country has the responsibility to ensure the safety, dignity and protection of its minority communities.”

At the same briefing, Bangladesh categorically rejected recent comments made by the spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding the situation of minority communities in Bangladesh.

“The Government of Bangladesh rejects any inaccurate, exaggerated or motivated narratives that misrepresent Bangladesh’s longstanding tradition of communal harmony,” Alam said, adding that the Indian spokesperson’s remarks “do not reflect the facts.”

He said Dhaka has noted systematic attempts to portray isolated criminal incidents as systemic persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh and alleged that such narratives are being used to spread anti-Bangladesh sentiment in different parts of India.

“We observe a selective and unfair bias in certain quarters, where isolated incidents are amplified and misrepresented to incite common Indians against Bangladesh, its diplomatic missions and other establishments in India,” he said.

Alam also clarified that one of the individuals cited by the Indian MEA spokesperson was a listed criminal whose death occurred while committing extortion along with an accomplice, who was later arrested. “Portraying this criminal act through the lens of minority treatment is misleading and factually incorrect,” he added.

Bangladesh called on relevant quarters in India to refrain from spreading misleading narratives that could undermine good-neighbourly relations and mutual trust between the two countries.