Foreign Secretary Misri to visit Bangladesh on December 9: MEA

India on Friday announced that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will travel to Dhaka on December 9, a visit that comes amid strain in ties with Bangladesh over attacks on minorities, including Hindus, in the neighbouring country.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Misri is travelling to Bangladesh to attend a meeting under the framework of Foreign Office Consultations.

"The foreign secretary is scheduled to visit Bangladesh for Foreign Office Consultations on December 9. This is part of our structured interactions with the Bangladesh side," he said.


Jaiswal was responding to a question at his weekly media briefing.

On the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson said India expects a fair, just and transparent legal process in the case.

"We have spoken on this issue earlier. We would like to reiterate our expectation that relevant legal processes underway in Bangladesh are executed in a fair, just and transparent manner, ensuring full respect for the legal rights of concerned individuals," he said.

The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power. India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.

There has been a spate of attacks on minorities including on the Hindu community in Bangladesh in the last few months.

India last week said the interim government in Bangladesh must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the "surge" of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus.

India had also hoped that the case relating to Das, arrested on a charge of sedition, would be dealt with in a just and fair manner.

Das was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport last month in connection with a sedition case.