India rebukes Bangladesh over unrest claim

India on Friday rejected allegations from Dhaka that New Delhi was linked to recent unrest in Bangladesh’s Khagrachhari district, and instead blamed the Bangladeshi interim government for failing to uphold law and order in the country.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the charges were “false and baseless” and accused Dhaka of routinely shifting blame to external factors rather than addressing its own internal failures.

“The interim government of Bangladesh, as you are aware and we’ve spoken about it on several occasions, is unable to maintain law and order in the country, and has this habit of routinely trying to shift the blame elsewhere,” Jaiswal said at the weekly briefing.

He called on Dhaka to “introspect” and conduct serious investigations into the actions of local extremists who, he alleged, have been targeting minority communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts through violence, arson and land grabs.

“The incidents we have referred to are especially targeting members of minority communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,” Jaiswal added.

The remarks came after Bangladesh’s Home Affairs Adviser, Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, alleged earlier this week that “certain quarters” with backing from India or “fascist groups” were trying to create instability in Khagrachhari. 

His comments followed deadly clashes linked to protests over the alleged rape of a tribal teenager in the hill district, which left at least three people dead and more than 20, including army and police personnel, injured.

India, however, firmly dismissed the accusations and maintained that the responsibility lies squarely with Bangladeshi authorities to prevent violence and protect minority communities.