Top diplomats from Tripura, Kolkata missions recalled

Bangladesh’s top diplomats in Tripura and Kolkata missions returned to Dhaka on Thursday, after the interim government recalled them in view of the deteriorating law and order situation in India, and worsening bilateral ties.

Earlier, the government gave Tripura mission chief Assistant High Commissioner Arif Mohammad and Kolkata mission chief Deputy High Commissioner Shikder Md Ashraful Rahman 24 hours to return to Dhaka and continue their operations from the Bangladesh capital for an indefinite period.

As a result of the officials’ return to country, Bangladesh now maintains no diplomatic presence in the two Indian border states.

While visa services are continuing in the Kolkata mission, all activities have remained suspended in the Tripura mission since the 28 November attack by Hindu nationalists there.

Tensions erupted between Bangladesh and Indian on 5 August, when the pro-Indian dictator Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a student-led uprising.

Hasina allegedly endorsed Indian interests in Bangladesh that heavily damaged the smaller neighbouring country’s own interests and grossly violated its national security.

The ouster of Hasina, and launch of a fresh scrutiny into the controversial India deals have allegedly pushed Indian leaders into deploying all the malign means at their disposal, including disinformation, to unsettle Bangladesh interim government.

The tensions reached a new height, when Bangladesh police arrested a controversial Hindu leader named Chinmoy Krishna Das over allegations he tried to undermine the country’s sovereignty and uphold supposed Indian claims over large parts of the country.

Chinmoy’s supporters and Indian leaders allege the case against him is fabricated, and is simply the latest example of attacks on minorities being waged since Hasina’s ouster.