Bangladesh summons Indian envoy to protest Agartala incident

Ahead of foreign secretary Vikram Misri's proposed visit to Dhaka in the near future for foreign office consultations, Bangladesh foreign ministry summoned the Indian high commissioner in Dhaka to lodge protests against the attack on Bangladesh consulate in Agartala.

A protest letter was handed over to Pranay Verma over the attack on Bangladesh mission in Agartala. Later, Verma told reporters that India is willing to maintain friendly relations with Bangladesh.

"India is willing to work with the present interim government in Bangladesh for materialising mutual hopes and aspirations, and for promoting peace, security and development between the two countries," the Indian high commissioner said after coming out of a meeting at the Bangladesh ministry of foreign affairs on Tuesday afternoon.


Following a half-an-hour long meeting with acting foreign secretary Reaz Hamidullah, the protest letter was handed over to the Indian high commissioner, it is learnt. This protest was lodged ahead of Misri's Dhaka visit which will be the first visit by a senior Indian official since Sheikh Hasina's ouster in August. If Misri undertakes the visit, he is expected to raise the issue of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, among other security concerns.

The envoy further said that Bangladesh-India relation is multi-dimensional. "The relation between the two countries would not come to a halt over any particular issue. We are willing to expand contacts between the peoples of two countries," he said.