Bangladesh summons Indian envoy after consulate attack

DHAKA: Bangladesh on Tuesday summoned New Delhi’s ambassador after an attack on one of its consulates in India, the latest flare-up in strained ties between the neighbours.

Relations have been frayed by the student-led uprising in August that toppled Bangladesh’s autocratic former leader Sheikh Hasina, who is now residing in India.

New Delhi has repeatedly demanded protection of Bangladesh’s minority Hindu minority community, which saw reprisal attacks in the chaotic aftermath of Hasina’s ouster because of their perceived support for her government.

Hindu activists on Monday attempted to storm a Bangladeshi consulate during a protest in Agartala, a small Indian city not far from the two countries’ shared border.

India has condemned the breach and local police have arrested seven people.

After meeting Bangladesh foreign ministry officials, Indian High Commissioner (ambassador) Pranay Verma said his country was committed to engaging with the interim government, which took office after Hasina’s ouster to implement democratic reforms.

“This is a wide-ranging relationship, a multifaceted relationship,” Verma told reporters. “We remain interested in working with the government of Bangladesh to fulfil our shared aspirations for security and development.”

Public sentiment in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million continues to be stacked against India, which was Hasina’s main international patron during her iron-fisted, 15-year rule.