India 'Regrets' Rally Breaching Bangladesh Asst High Commission In Agatala; Security Beefed Up

A massive rally of over thousand protesters breached the premises of Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner in Tripura's Agartala on Monday which created a hostile situation in the area and Ministry of External Affairs later described it as "deeply regrettable".

The people in the rally were protesting against the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das as well as attacks on the Hindu community in the neighbouring country.

According to PTI, it is learnt that over 50 protesters reportedly entered the premises of the Bangladeshi mission in Agartala, triggering concerns among the officials at the complex.

Reportedly, in retaliation of the the "breach" at its mission in Agartala, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi is lodging a protest.

Earlier in the day, thousands of people took out a massive rally in Agartala demanding the immediate release of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Prabhu and stoppage of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

A memorandum was submitted to the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Agartala, Arif Mohammad, over the issue.

Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport last week last in connection with a sedition case.

The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power following the stepping down of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August.

India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.

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What Happened At Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner's Office In Agartala?

West Tripura Additional SP Chiranjib Chakraborty told PTI that a six-member delegation of Hindu Sangharsh Samity, a VHP affiliate which staged a protest rally over atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh, was allowed inside the assistant high commission to submit a memorandum in this regard, a few "additional people" entered the premises and raised 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans.

"However, there was no breach of peace or trouble inside the Bangladesh mission as we drove out the protesters immediately," he said.

The allegations of burning of a Bangladesh flag has also surfaced and Chakraborty said police have received such a report and are verifying the video footage.

"We have not received any formal complaint from the Bangladesh mission over today's incident so far," he said.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) A Ramesh Reddy visited the Bangladesh mission to inspect the security arrangements.

"The security in and around the Bangladesh mission has been tightened and additional forces have been deployed," Chakraborty said.

India Expresses Regret Over Massive Rally & Breach Of Official Premises

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement on Monday said, "The incident earlier today of the breach of premises at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala is deeply regrettable."

The MEA maintained that consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances and that the government is beefing up security at the other Bangladeshi missions across India following the incident.

"Diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances," it added.

"The government is taking action to step up security arrangements for the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and their deputy/assistant high commissions in the country," it said.

India had on Friday said the interim government in Bangladesh must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the "surge" of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus.

New Delhi also hoped that the case relating to Das, arrested on a charge of sedition, will be dealt with in a just, fair and transparent manner.

"Our position on the matter is very clear -- the interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing on Friday.

"We are concerned at the surge of extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence and provocation. These developments cannot be dismissed only as media exaggeration. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take all steps for the protection of minorities," he added.

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Bangladesh's Reaction To The Incident

Bangladesh's interim government Monday protested against the "violent demonstration" at its Assistant High Commission in Agartala.

In a statement, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry alleged that the Agartala protesters were allowed to enter the premises following which they vandalised the flag pole and desecrated the national flag of Bangladesh.

"The accounts received conclusively attest that the protesters were allowed to aggress into the premises by breaking down the main gate of Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in a pre-planned manner,” the statement said.

In the process, it said, the protesters vandalised the flag pole, desecrated the national flag of Bangladesh and also damaged properties inside the Assistant High Commission in the presence of the members of the local law enforcement agencies.

"Regrettably, the local police persons present in charge of protecting the premises were found not to be active in containing the situation from the beginning," it said, adding that the situation has raised concerns among the officials at the complex.

"This particular act in Agartala stands in violation of the inviolability of diplomatic missions, as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, asks for,” the statement said.

Dhaka called upon the Indian government to take immediate steps to address this incident, saying it is the responsibility of the host government to protect the diplomatic missions.