Bangladesh has formally raised a “strong protest” with India over statements made by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, particularly those about the alleged recent damage to her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s house. Bangladesh condemned Hasina’s recent address as “false and fabricated,” and described her comments and activities during her exile in India as a “hostile act.” It has demanded that India prevent her from making any further speeches, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect and the two countries’ historical ties.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh handed over a protest note to the Acting High Commissioner of India in Dhaka, criticizing Hasina’s continuous remarks made on various platforms, including social media, which it believes are instigating instability in Bangladesh. The Ministry expressed deep concern, disappointment, and serious reservations about the impact of these statements on the sentiments of the people of Bangladesh, and stated that such activities were considered hostile acts detrimental to efforts at establishing healthy relations between the two countries.
On Thursday, Bangladesh summoned India’s acting high commissioner to Dhaka, where Bangladesh’s foreign adviser, Md Touhid Hossain, stated that the country had formally requested India in writing to prevent Hasina from making such statements, which harm Bangladesh’s interests.
Earlier in the week, Hasina delivered a speech in which she referred to the recent vandalism of her father’s residence, the iconic 32 Dhanmondi house in Dhaka. She condemned the demolition and fire set to the house, calling it an act of erasure of history. Hasina also expressed that while Pakistani forces had looted the house during the 1971 Liberation War, they had never destroyed it.
In the midst of ongoing protests, demonstrators also vandalized murals of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and burned several of Hasina’s family properties. The protests have led to heightened tensions between Bangladesh and India, with Bangladesh calling for immediate action to curb Hasina’s public rhetoric.
