Bangladesh slams protests outside its High Commission in New Delhi as 'highly regrettable'

Bangladesh has expressed its displeasure with a demonstration outside its diplomatic mission in New Delhi, India's capital, saying the “miscreants’ protest” was unacceptable and "highly regrettable."

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday: “The miscreants were allowed to carry out their activities right outside the perimeters of the High Commission, creating panic among the personnel inside the complex. The High Commission was not given advance information about this organised event.”

The ministry also rejected the "attempt of the Indian authorities to depict an isolated attack on a Bangladeshi citizen, who happens to belong to the Hindu community, as an attack on minorities."

"It is the duty of all governments in the region to ensure protection of minorities in their respective countries," the ministry statement said.

Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain separately told reporters in Dhaka that the family of the Bangladesh High Commissioner has been "feeling at risk" since the Saturday night incident.

The mission's location in Delhi is extremely secure within the diplomatic zone. "Why can Hindu extremists enter that area? Hossain said, adding that if they had been allowed to come, such an incident would not have occurred.

"Protest the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh"

A group of people protested in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi on Saturday night.

India Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Sunday that a small group of 20–25 youths had gathered outside the Bangladesh High Commission to "protest the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh," reported India Today.

He claimed the protest was “peaceful, brief, and did not pose any security threat.”

The Hindu man was killed in the central Mymensingh district on Thursday night.

However, the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry stated that it has taken note of India's commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all Bangladeshi diplomatic posts in India.

The two South Asian neighbours have been exchanging words since last year's uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. Hasina has been in India since August last year.

According to the UN, about 1,400 people were killed in the uprising, and thousands of others were injured during demonstrations that toppled Hasina's 15-year-long rule.