Hindu group storms Bangladesh consulate, seven detained

POLICE in India's northeastern state of Tripura arrested seven members of a Hindu group and charged them with breaking into the Bangladesh consulate and vandalising property, a police officer said on Tuesday (3).

The move came hours after Muslim-majority Bangladesh called for immediate action against protesters who broke into the consulate, saying they tore down its main gate, damaged property and desecrated the national flag.

Those arrested were part of demonstrations organised by the Hindu Sangharsha Samiti, a group that says it protects Hindu interests, after Bangladesh arrested a Hindu religious leader, Chinmoy Krishna Das, last week.

"Around 50 of them broke into the property's main gate, and brought down the Bangladeshi flag post," said district police officer Kiran Kumar K. in west Tripura.

Among the 4,000 protesters were more people involved in the break-in and police were investigating, he said, adding that disciplinary action had been taken against four police officers in charge of consulate security.

In a statement on Monday (2), India's foreign ministry called the incident deeply regrettable, adding that diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances.

In a post on X, Tarique Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and the acting president of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party, criticised the attack, saying such incidents caused division and discord among neighbours.

Das, arrested last week at the airport in Dhaka, the capital, on charges of sedition, among others, is associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

His arrest sparked protests in Dhaka and the southern port city of Chittagong, where his supporters clashed with security forces.

Hindu-majority India had also condemned the arrest and expressed concern over attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

(Reuters)