MoFA summons Indian HC over Agartala attack

Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on Tuesday (December 3) to formally protest against the attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, the capital of Tripura state, India.

The High Commissioner arrived at the Ministry at 3:15 pm for a meeting with Acting Foreign Secretary M Riaz Hamidullah.

The protest was sparked by Monday's attack on the Assistant High Commission premises in Agartala, allegedly carried out by supporters of the Hindutva organisation Hindu Sangharsh Samiti and other affiliated groups. The protesters cited claims of minority persecution in Bangladesh as their motivation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Bangladesh’s strong objection to the incident would be conveyed directly to the Indian High Commissioner. Discussions are also expected to focus on measures to ensure the security of Bangladeshi diplomatic missions in India.

On the same day as the Agartala incident, hundreds of demonstrators, led by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), protested outside the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Mumbai. Hindu Sangharsh Samiti is reportedly an affiliate of the VHP.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement describing the Agartala attack as “unfortunate” and reiterated that diplomatic and consular properties should never be targeted.

In response to the incident, Indian authorities have arrested seven individuals in Tripura and initiated administrative action against four police personnel for failing to prevent the attack.

This summons reflects Bangladesh's heightened concern over the safety of its diplomatic personnel and premises in India amidst growing tensions between the neighbouring nations.