Dhaka Rejects Indian Note Over New Delhi Protest

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain. File Photo

Bangladesh on Sunday firmly rejected an Indian press note regarding reported demonstrations near its High Commission in New Delhi, raising serious concerns over security lapses in a highly restricted diplomatic zone.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain said the issue had been oversimplified in the Indian note, noting that Bangladesh’s mission is located deep inside a sanitised and secured diplomatic area, not at its outskirts.

Questioning how protesters gained access, he said it was unacceptable that a group of 25 to 30 people, identified as members of a Hindu extremist organisation, could reach such a sensitive location under normal security protocols.

“The number is not the issue. The question is how they were allowed to come this far into a secured zone and issue threats,” he told reporters at the foreign ministry in Dhaka.

Touhid said the protesters went beyond slogan-chanting and made statements that created fear, adding that reports published in Bangladesh were largely accurate. While there was no concrete proof of death threats, he said such threats were heard and should not have been possible in a protected area.

Referring to international norms, he said protest groups are usually required to notify authorities in advance and are kept at a distance by police, with limited access allowed, if any.

“What happened here, we do not accept,” he said, stressing that host countries are responsible for ensuring the safety of diplomatic missions and personnel.

Bangladesh has conveyed its concerns to Indian authorities through diplomatic channels and expressed hope that such incidents would not recur. Dhaka still trusts India to take appropriate security measures but may reconsider its presence if the situation worsens, he added.

Touhid also rejected attempts to link the killing of a Bangladeshi citizen to minority security, noting that authorities in Bangladesh had already taken swift action and made arrests.

The protest took place around 9:00pm local time on Saturday in front of Bangladesh House in New Delhi.