Kumar Bahukhandi
Bangladesh’s envoy to India, Riaz Hamidullah. (Photo: ITG)
Tensions persist between Bangladesh and India. In a significant development, Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, has left Delhi and returned home after receiving an ‘urgent call’ from Dhaka. Previously, India and Bangladesh have summoned each other’s High Commissioners on several occasions.
India-Bangladesh relations remain delicate and tense. Amidst this, Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, received an ‘urgent call’ and returned to Bangladesh overnight. This is a significant development in the context of India-Bangladesh relations. The question is, what was so urgent about this call that High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah had to return to Dhaka overnight?
The Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo reported that Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to New Delhi, M Riaz Hamidullah, has been summoned to Dhaka on an urgent basis in view of the recent situation in bilateral relations with India.
A source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that Hamidullah arrived in Dhaka on Monday night following the summons.
The report stated, “He has been summoned to Dhaka to discuss the recent state of bilateral relations.”
It is worth mentioning that relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained recently. This series of diplomatic clashes began with Sheikh Hasina’s removal from power in 2024.
Recently, a Hindu youth, Deepu Das, was burned to death in Bangladesh. This incident significantly strained relations between the two countries. Meanwhile, student leader Usman Hadi was shot dead in Bangladesh. Several organisations in India expressed anger towards Bangladesh over this incident.
Following Usman Hadi’s death on December 18, widespread protests and vandalism occurred in several places in Bangladesh. Some extremist elements attempted to attack the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chittagong.
In response, India suspended its visa services at the mission. India later summoned the Bangladeshi High Commissioner, Riyaz Hamidullah, and expressed deep concern over plans by several extremist elements to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
Bangladesh, too, did not hold back in retaliating against India.
Bangladesh reportedly expressed deep concern over attacks on Muslims and Christians in India. In a statement, Bangladesh demanded an investigation into these alleged attacks on minorities across India and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
SM Mahbubul Alam, spokesperson for the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the recent comments by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson regarding the situation of minority communities in Bangladesh as misleading. SM Mahbubul Alam also urged various parties in India to refrain from spreading misinformation about minority issues in Bangladesh.
