Dhaka on Sunday responded to New Delhi’s remarks on the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh by flagging reports of the targeting of minorities in India, including the Christmas-related incidents.
According to the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) — the country’s official news agency — foreign ministry spokesperson S.M. Mahbubul Alam rejected remarks his Indian counterpart Randhir Jaiswal had made on Friday about the “unremitting hostility” minorities faced in Bangladesh.
“The Government of Bangladesh categorically rejects any inaccurate, exaggerated, or motivated narratives that misrepresent Bangladesh’s longstanding tradition of communal harmony,” Alam was quoted as saying at a media briefing.
Asserting that Jaiswal’s remarks did not reflect the facts, Alam said: “We observe a selective and unfair bias in certain quarters, where isolated incidentsare amplified, misrepresented and propagated to incite common Indians against Bangladesh, its diplomatic missions and other establishments in India.”
Alam urged everyone in India to refrain from spreading misleading narratives that undermined the spirit of good neighbourly relations and mutual trust.
The BSS report quoted him as saying that Bangladesh was deeply concerned about the brutal killings, mob violence, obstruction ofelections and disruption of religious events targeting Muslims, Christians and other minorities in India.
Referring to the Christmas-related incidents in various parts of India, Alam said: “These incidents are viewed as hate crimes and targeted violence. We expect the concerned authorities in India to conduct impartial investigations into these incidents and bring the perpetratorsto justice.”
Jaiswal, answering questions on the reports of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, had on Friday said: “The unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists, at the hands of extremists is a matter of grave concern.
“We condemn the recent gruesome killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh, and expect that the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to justice.
“Over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities, including cases of killings, arsons, land grab, have been documented by independent sources during the tenure of the interim government. These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence.”