New Delhi, March 7 India on Friday said that it remains concerned about the deteriorating law and order situation in neighbouring Bangladesh which has further been exacerbated by the release of violent extremists who were sentenced for serious crimes.
The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh has been criticised severely for acquitting extremist elements and exonerating many Islamists since the fall of the Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
"We support a stable, peaceful, inclusive and progressive Bangladesh in which all issues are resolved through democratic means and by holding inclusive and participatory elections. We remain concerned about the deteriorating law and order situation, which has further been exacerbated by the release of violent extremists who were sentenced for serious crimes," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday.
As Bangladesh slid into abyss following the fall of Sheikh Hasina government, the interim government led by Yunus has been accused of giving a free hand to the Islamist forces in the country and also relaxing comprehensively the policy of mandatory security clearance required for Pakistani citizens seeking visas, thus facilitating easy return of many notorious terror suspects who had earlier fled to the safe havens in Pakistan.
With no end still in sight to attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, particularly on members belonging to the Hindu and Ahmadiyya communities, the MEA on Friday once again highlighted the serious issue and the interim government's botched up investigations that have so far been just an eyewash.
"We have repeatedly underlined that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus and other minorities, as well as their properties and religious institutions. As seen so far, only 1254 out of 2374 reported incidents between August 5, 2024, and February 16, 2025, have been verified by the police. Further, 98 per cent of these 1254 incidents were deemed political in nature. We expect Bangladesh to thoroughly investigate and bring all perpetrators of killings, arson, and violence to justice without making such distinctions," the MEA spokesperson mentioned.
Jaiswal admitted that development cooperation, which has been a priority area of bilateral relations, has suffered a dent due to the current situation in Bangladesh.
"Development cooperation is a priority area of our relations with the people of Bangladesh. The recent security situation and longstanding local issues have affected the pace of implementation of some of these projects. The official discussions, therefore, focused on rationalising the project portfolio and executing mutually agreed-upon projects in a time-bound manner. Subject to obtaining the committed support and pending clearances from the Bangladesh side, we plan to move forward with these projects," Jaiswal said about a recent meeting that was held between the two countries on development cooperation.
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