Bangladesh-India Tensions Escalate: Accusations Fly Over Minority Rights and Murder Suspects

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Bangladesh and India are locked in a bitter dispute over minority rights and the handling of a high-profile murder case. The Bangladeshi government has accused India of spreading false information about the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh, while Indian authorities have rejected these claims as baseless. In a statement, the Bangladeshi foreign ministry said that certain quarters in India were selectively amplifying isolated incidents of violence against minorities to incite anti-Bangladesh sentiment. This, it claimed, was undermining good neighborly relations between the two countries. India, however, has condemned the recent lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh and expressed concern over the violence against minorities. The Indian government has documented over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities in Bangladesh during the tenure of the interim government. The dispute has escalated further with allegations that suspects in the murder of a radical student leader in Bangladesh had fled to the Indian state of Meghalaya. However, the BSF and Meghalaya police have rejected these claims, saying there is no evidence to support them. The tensions between the two countries come ahead of planned national elections in Bangladesh in February. The issue has also sparked protests in Bangladesh, with many calling for a boycott of Indian goods. Both sides have called in each other's envoys to the foreign ministry to lodge formal protests over the developments. The dispute highlights the challenges facing the two countries in maintaining good relations, particularly in the context of their shared history and cultural ties.