Protests erupt outside 3 Bangladesh missions in India

Protests have been staged outside three Bangladeshi diplomatic missions in India — in New Delhi, Kolkata and Agartala — amid rising diplomatic tensions and demonstrations over the killing of Bangladeshi garment worker Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh.

Indian media reported that on Tuesday, activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal attempted to break through police barricades and march toward the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi. Police dispersed the protesters using batons and detained several VHP members. Similar situations were reported in Kolkata.

The Hindustan Times said Hindu nationalist protesters tried to advance toward the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, breaking barricades near the Beckbagan area, before police intervened and dispersed them with force.

According to The Hindu, a rally titled “Hindu Hunkar Padayatra” was organised under the banner of “Bengali Hindu Jagaran” in Kolkata. The procession started from Sealdah and moved toward the Bangladesh mission but was stopped by police at Beckbagan, where a heavy security presence was deployed.

Protests were also held outside the Bangladesh mission in Agartala, Tripura, led by the Tipra Motha Party and other groups. Demonstrators there warned of renewed protests and blockades in the coming days.

Following the protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, police in Mumbai also detained VHP activists as a precautionary measure.

Beyond diplomatic missions, demonstrations were reported in several Indian states, including Assam, Jammu and Rajouri, protesting the killing of Dipu Chandra Das.

In Jammu, members of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association staged a protest, calling on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring all Hindus from Bangladesh to India. The association’s president, Nirmal K Kotwal, condemned what he described as repeated attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and urged the Indian government to ensure their protection.

Protests were also reported from Bhopal in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Tensions escalated further after a protest was held last Thursday night outside the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chattogram, Bangladesh, over the killing of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, convener of Inqilab Mancha. Protesters reportedly threw stones at the mission, prompting authorities to suspend operations at the Indian Visa Application Centre in Chattogram from Sunday until further notice.

On the same night, Dipu Chandra Das, a 28-year-old factory worker in Valuka, was beaten to death over allegations of blasphemy. His body was later tied to a tree branch and set on fire.

Earlier, on Saturday night, 20–25 members of a group calling itself “Akhanda Hindu Rashtra Sena” staged a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, chanting anti-Bangladesh slogans and allegedly threatening Bangladesh’s High Commissioner M Riaz Hamidullah.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal later described reports surrounding the incident as “misleading propaganda.” Bangladesh rejected the statement, with Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain saying protesters had been allowed to reach deep into the diplomatic zone in front of the Bangladesh mission.

Amid the exchange of statements, several organisations locked and protested outside the Bangladesh Visa Centre in Shiliguri on Monday, where, according to Bangladeshi officials, “extremist groups” carried out vandalism.

Against this backdrop, Bangladesh has temporarily suspended consular and visa services at its High Commission in New Delhi, the Assistant High Commission in Agartala and the visa centre in Shiliguri due to security concerns.

As tensions continue, Bangladesh on Tuesday summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to the foreign ministry in Dhaka to convey what it described as “deep concern” over the protests and security of its diplomatic missions in India.