The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday, April 18, rejected Bangladesh's claim regarding the recent communal violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, urging the Asian country to instead focus on protecting minorities within its own country. "We reject the remarks made by the Bangladesh side with regard to the incidents in West Bengal. This is a barely disguised and disingenuous attempt to draw a parallel with India's concerns over the ongoing persecution of minorities in Bangladesh, where the criminal perpetrators of such acts continue to roam free," MEA said in a statement.
"Instead of making unwarranted comments and indulging in virtue signalling, Bangladesh would do better to focus on protecting the rights of its own minorities," it added.
The responses from MEA came after Bangladesh's chief adviser's press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, said India should fully protect its Muslim minority population. Alam had also rejected the claim of Bangladesh's hand in violence in Murshidabad. "We strongly refute any attempts to implicate Bangladesh in the communal violence in Murshidabad," he told a local daily.
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The violence broke out on April 11 during the protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 being passed by the Parliament. The violence claimed three lives and several others were injured. The unrest also resulted in significant vehicle and property damage and forced many Hindu families to flee or vacate their homes.
Some Bengal residents took refuge in the Pakur district of Jharkhand, while others moved to relief camps in Malda. The Calcutta High Court has ordered the continued deployment of central forces in Murshidabad to maintain law and order.