Holidaying Indian teen among victims

An Indian teenager was among the 20 hostages killed by terrorists in Bangladesh in an overnight attack, which prompted New Delhi to offer all assistance to the neighbouring country’s government to combat religious extremism.

Tarishi Jain (19) was confirmed killed by terrorists who stormed into an eatery at upmarket Gulshan area in Dhaka late on Friday.

The Bangladesh army commandos found her lying dead among the corpses of other hostages when they entered the restaurant early Saturday morning and gunned down six terrorists and caught another alive. Tarishi’s father, Sanjeev Jain, has a garment business in Bangladesh. She studied in the American School in Dhaka before joining the University of California, Berkeley.

She was on a vacation in Dhaka and was having dinner at Holey Artisan Bakery when the terrorists entered the eatery and took her and many other foreigners hostages.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina soon after the hostage crisis ended. “The attack in Dhaka has pained us beyond words. I spoke to PM Sheikh Hasina & (and) strongly condemned the despicable attack,” Modi posted on Twitter, adding, “India stands firmly with our sisters & (and) brothers of Bangladesh in this hour of grief.”

New Delhi closely monitored the deadly terror attack in its eastern neighbourhood and was even ready to send its elite National Security Guard commandos to Dhaka to help end the siege should the Bangladesh government make such a request, officials told the DH here.
Reports received by New Delhi from Dhaka late on Friday indicated the possibility of at least two Indians being among the hostages held by the terrorists. The Ministry of External Affairs swung into action and asked the High Commission of India in Dhaka to contact the Bangladesh government to verify the authenticity of the reports.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was in touch with the officials of the High Commission of India in Dhaka throughout the night. It was she who finally had to confirm Tarishi’s death in a tweet on Saturday after the Bangladesh Army commandos took control of the eatery.