Bangladesh ignoring calls to protect minorities: Vikram Misri

Despite persistent calls for steps to protect the rights of minorities, Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh has not acknowledged the “systematic persecution of minorities” and has sought to downplay the scale and nature of violence against Hindus across the country since the regime change in August 2024, foreign secretary Vikram Misri told a key parliamentary panel here on Wednesday. He also expressed concern over the “continued release” of violent Islamic extremists who had earlier been sentenced in Bangladesh for serious crimes.
Misri: No call yet on PM-Yunus meet
MEA further told Parliament’s standing committee on foreign affairs that chief adviser Yunus and other advisers to the government in Dhaka have termed the report of atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh as media exaggeration, while arguing that these are not communal attacks but “political killings” of Awami Leaguers.
Briefing the panel, Vikram Misri is learnt to have said that no decision has been taken yet on whether PM Modi will meet Yunus at the Bimstec Summit in Bangkok next week. While Misri said the final call will be taken by the PMO, he is learnt to have emphasised many issues will have to be considered before arriving at a decision about the top-level meeting.
The panel headed by Shashi Tharoor includes Asaduddin Owaisi, Sagarika Ghose, Rajeev Shukla, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Deepender Hooda, Naveen Jindal and YS Avinash Reddy.
Govt also expressed “grave concern” at the “continued release” of violent Islamic extremists who had been sentenced for serious crimes, calling them a threat to law and order as well as for regional and global security. It also stated that extremist groups espousing the ideology of Islamic Caliphate have stepped into the political vacuum.
The panel was told that Bangladesh is being repeatedly asked to secure India’s security interests and address its strategic concerns.
According to govt’s briefing to the panel, India has consistently told Bangladesh govt that concrete steps should be taken to protect the rights of minorities and to ensure their political and social inclusion, while promoting a culture of tolerance and co-existence.
The MPs asked several questions of the topmost MEA official-- importance of relations with Bangladesh since instability in the country affects India, benefits of keeping deposed PM Sheikh Hasina in the country and about the message being sent to the people across the border by being seen as supporting her statements, among others.
While Prasad is said to have asked the FS “who is running Bangladesh?”, Owaisi is said to have observed that India’s stress on minorities in another country can have the opposite effect on India, which too has minorities. Owaisi is also said to have suggested that since foreign minister has met his Bangladeshi counterpart and the foreign secretary has met Yunus in Bangladesh, the PM should also meet Yunus and ask him about when the elections will be held.
Amid the turbulence, however, water treaties and their management, joint naval exercises, trade, power sale agreement, border coordination conferences among other joint endeavours are continuing, the govt said.