'Exaggerated and misleading': Bangladesh dismisses India's minority attack concerns

Bangladesh on Sunday dismissed India's concerns over attacks on minorities in the neighbouring country as "exaggerated" and "misleading". Bangladesh accused India of portraying isolated incidents as "religious persecution".

In a statement, the Bangladesh foreign affairs ministry dismissed India's recent remarks on the situation in Bangladesh "do not reflect the ground reality". "Bangladesh categorically rejects any narrative that misrepresents the country’s long-standing tradition of communal harmony," the ministry said.  

Rejecting India's comments, Dhaka called New Delhi's comments as "a systematic attempt to portray isolated criminal incidents as organised persecution of Hindus and to use such narratives to spread anti-Bangladesh sentiments in parts of India," Dhaka Tribune reported.

During a recent press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed concern over turmoil in the neighbouring country and attacks against minorities. Jaiswal expressed concern over the killing of Dipu Chandra Das and highlighted over 2,900 incidents of violence. India also expressed concern over the killing of Amrit Mondal, allegedly a criminal involved in extortion.

"Some quarters were selectively publicising and misrepresenting incidents to incite ordinary Indians against Bangladesh, its diplomatic missions and institutions in India," Bangladesh charged. Dismissing India's comments, Bangladesh said Mondal was a listed criminal and was killed during an extortion attempt. "Portraying the incident as a minority-related issue was not only inaccurate but also misleading," it said.

Bangladesh urged various quarters in India to refrain from spreading misleading narratives that undermine good neighbourly relations and mutual trust, the publication reported.