Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: India on Friday issued a strong rebuttal to comments made by Bangladesh regarding the recent communal violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed Dhaka’s remarks as “disingenuous” and urged the neighbouring nation to focus on safeguarding its own minority communities rather than commenting on India’s internal matters.
India Rejects Dhaka’s Comments On Bengal Violence
“We reject the remarks made by the Bangladesh side with regard to the incidents in West Bengal. This is a barely disguised and disingenuous attempt to draw a parallel with India’s concerns over the ongoing persecution of minorities in Bangladesh, where the criminal perpetrators of such acts continue to roam free,” the MEA said in an official statement.
The ministry further added, “Instead of making unwarranted comments and indulging in virtue signalling, Bangladesh would do better to focus on protecting the rights of its own minorities.”
Bangladesh Calls For Minority Protection, India Responds
The MEA’s sharp response comes after Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to Bangladesh’s chief adviser, urged India to “fully protect” its Muslim population and claimed that Bangladesh had no links to the Murshidabad unrest. “We strongly refute any attempts to implicate Bangladesh in the communal violence in Murshidabad,” Alam said in a statement to the local press.
Murshidabad Violence: A Background
The violence erupted on April 11 during demonstrations opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The clashes claimed three lives and left several injured. As tensions escalated, properties were damaged, and multiple families were displaced. Many of them sought shelter in Jharkhand’s Pakur district and relief camps set up in Malda.
To control the situation, the Calcutta High Court ordered the continued deployment of central paramilitary forces in Murshidabad. The court also announced that it would oversee the rehabilitation of the affected families and warned political figures from both the BJP and Trinamool Congress (TMC) against making provocative statements.
