Bangladesh Protests to India Over Diplomatic Incidents as Tensions Escalate

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Bangladesh summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma on Tuesday to express its deep concern over 'regrettable incidents' outside its mission in New Delhi and the vandalization of its visa centre in Siliguri. This is the second time in 10 days that Verma has been called to the foreign ministry in Dhaka to protest, with tensions between the two countries at an all-time low. The incidents, which included violent protests outside Bangladesh's diplomatic missions in India, have strained bilateral ties further. Bangladesh's foreign secretary, Asad Alam Siam, conveyed the country's 'grave concern' over the incidents, which it attributed to 'extremist elements.' The protests were sparked by the recent lynching of a Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, in Mymensingh. India had dismissed reports of a security breach at the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi as 'misleading propaganda,' but Bangladesh contested this description, saying that an isolated attack on a Bangladeshi Hindu man should not be depicted as an attack on minorities. The incident has reignited a war of words between the two countries, which has been ongoing since anti-India protests broke out in Bangladesh over the killing of radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Bangladesh has suspended visa services at its missions in New Delhi and Agartala, as well as the visa centre in Siliguri, while India has suspended visa services only at the mission in Chittagong. The two countries have repeatedly clashed on issues since the collapse of former premier Sheikh Hasina's government and the formation of the caretaker administration led by Muhammad Yunus in August 2024. New Delhi has accused Dhaka of failing to prevent attacks on its minorities, while Bangladesh has disputed this claim. As tensions between the two countries continue to escalate, it remains to be seen how this latest incident will affect their already strained relations.