Bangladesh govt not acknowledging persecution of minorities: MEA to Parliamentary panel

New Delhi: The External Affairs Ministry is learnt to have told a parliamentary committee that the Bangladesh government has not only not acknowledged the systematic persecution of minorities in the country but has also sought to downplay the scale and nature of violence against Hindus since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, sources said.

The ministry, in its presentation to the Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, underlined the rise in religious symbolism in public spaces in the neighbouring country with the capture of political vacuum by extremist groups promoting an ideology of the establishment of Islamic caliphate, the sources said.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed the committee on the "Future of India-Bangladesh Relationship" and various aspects of the Indian diaspora living across the world.

Tharoor told reporters later that the bulk of the meeting was devoted to a discussion with Misri on India's relationship with Bangladesh. "It was a very comprehensive discussion," he said, adding that the committee adopted its report on the diaspora.

The ministry told the committee that the Bangladesh army chief in his public remarks has underlined the threat to the country by such fighting and factionalism in the country.

It cited frequent reports of lawless chaos steered by mob justice, vandalisation of properties and crimes against women and minorities.

The committee was told that Bangladesh Chief Adviser Md Yunus and his colleagues termed the reports of atrocities against minorities as media exaggeration and have tried to justify them as not communal but as "political killings" of the Awami League members.

The Indian government, the ministry said, has repeatedly asked the interim regime in the neighbouring country to bring to justice the accused behind violence against minorities, sources said.

While there have been some arrests, serious actions against the culprits have not yet been taken, even as incidents of attack on minorities and their places of worship continue to be reported, it said, adding that India is continuously monitoring the situation.

The ministry said India's working-level engagements with Bangladesh have provided a framework of bilateral cooperation while working towards ensuring that its core strategic concerns continue to be addressed.

It said that while India continues to be interested in advancing mutual interests and priorities, it is crucial that Bangladesh pays due attention to its security and strategic concerns in the region, according to the sources.

The ministry in its briefing said that the stability of Bangladesh is of paramount importance to the region and that a constructive and cooperative relationship with the country is important for the continued security and safety at borders.

The continued release of violent Islamic extremists who had been sentenced for serious crimes is a matter of grave concern for law and order as well as for regional and global security, it added.