Bangladesh protests following Indian minister’s speech
Dhaka has lodged a “strong protest” with New Delhi following comments by India’s home minister, in which he described Bangladeshi citizens as “infiltrators."
Amit Shah, the home minister and a close ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made the remarks at a rally last week ahead of an election in the state of Jharkhand.
Criticizing the current state government, Shah rhetorically asked whether the land belonged to the “adivasis” (a term used for indigenous groups across the country) or “Bangladeshi infiltrators.”
He also promised that, if his party comes to power, it would “straighten out the Bangladeshis” who have “infiltrated” the district of Santhal Pargana “by hanging them upside down,” The Hindu reported.
Shah has often targeted suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, who have been crossing the 4,000km border between the two countries and settling in several states, including West Bengal and Assam. There is also a historical context to the pattern of migration, as parts of eastern India witnessed an influx of refugees during the 1971 war, after which Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan.
The Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry “conveyed its serious reservation, deep sense of hurt, and extreme displeasure” at Shah’s comments in a note of protest, according to a statement shared on social media on Monday.
Dhaka has also urged the Indian government “to advise the political leaders to refrain from making such objectionable and unacceptable remarks,” noting that such statements “undermine the spirit of mutual respect and friendship between two friendly countries.”
New Delhi’s relations with Dhaka have been tested since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August. She resigned and fled to India following weeks of violent, student-led protests resulting in hundreds of deaths.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the country’s main opposition party, has warned that Hasina’s extended stay in India could put a further strain on bilateral ties, and has asked New Delhi to extradite the former leader.
Meanwhile, India has expressed concern over alleged atrocities against the Hindu community in Bangladesh since the fall of Hasina’s government. Hindus are a minority in Bangladesh, constituting around 9% of the population. India has formed a special committee to investigate the alleged atrocities and monitor the border, where many have been attempting to cross into India.
Last month, Dhaka stoked tensions again by claiming that floods affecting millions of Bangladeshis had been caused by a decision to open the Dumbur dam on the Gumti River in Tripura, a state that shares an 800km border with Bangladesh. New Delhi has rejected the allegations.
