India-Bangladesh Ties

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the Centre must give protection to minorities in violence-hit Bangladesh, and bring back those willing to return. Banerjee also claimed that fake videos were being purposefully circulated, as certain sections were trying to foment communal tension. "We want protection for minorities in Bangladesh. The Union government must act. It should also bring back those who want to return to India," she told reporters here. The CM is on a two-day trip to Digha to review the construction of the Jagannath temple. Bangladesh's minority Hindus, who constitute about 8 per cent of the 170 million population, have faced attacks in 50-odd districts since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government on August 5.

The United States has said that it wants India and Bangladesh to resolve their differences peacefully. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miler said this at his daily news conference on Tuesday. "We want to see all parties resolve their disagreements peacefully," Miler said, responding to a question on the recent visit of India's foreign secretary to Bangladesh. During his visit early this week, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri conveyed New Delhi's "concerns" over the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh. "I have underlined India's desire to work closely with the interim government of Bangladesh. At the same time, we also had the opportunity to discuss certain recent developments and issues, and I conveyed our concerns, including those related to the safety and welfare of minorities," Misri told reporters in Dhaka at the end of his visit.

Highlighting the historical presence of Hindus in Bangladesh, stating, "We are vanished from Afghanistan. We are vanished from Pakistan. This is the high time. If we are not saved now, we will be

India on Monday raised concerns over 'regrettable incidents' of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, which Dhaka dismissed as 'misleading and false information' as their foreign secretaries met

Foreign Affairs expert Robinder Sachdev said that after Misri's meeting, if Bangladesh government doesn't act right, it would mean they intentionally don't want to keep good relations with India

India on Monday expressed concerns over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh and its desire for a "positive, constructive and mutually beneficial" relationship with the neighbour as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held high-level talks with his counterpart in Dhaka. In the first high-level visit by an Indian official since August 5 when prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted and fled to India, Misri said he had a "frank, candid and constructive exchange of views" with Foreign Secretary Mohammad Jashim Uddin here. "I conveyed our concerns, including those related to the safety and welfare of minorities. We also discussed some regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious and diplomatic properties," Misri told reporters. "I emphasized that India desires a positive, constructive and mutually beneficial relationship with Bangladesh," he said. Misri said their talks allowed both sides to take stock of bilateral relations. "We have always seen in the past, and we continue to

The Foreign Secretary, who visited Bangladesh, told reporters in Dhaka that he had frank, candid, and constructive exchange of views with his interlocutors in the neighbouring country

The current and evolving situation in Bangladesh is unlikely to trigger a fresh round of exodus of minority Hindus into India, Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Banerjee said. Historically, the academic explained, migration is mainly driven by social networks and economic opportunities, rather than persecution, even in the context of the crisis faced by minorities in Bangladesh. Speaking exclusively to PTI during his recent visit to the city to participate in a curtain-raiser event of the 16th edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, where his latest title Chhaunk: On Food, Economics and Society' was launched, Banerjee said he felt India's "explicit political preference for Hindu migrants from Bangladesh" is what prompted the population to leave their homeland in the past, rather than the attacks on the community. "People always leave for another country where they have their families or to a richer nation where the economic opportunities are higher," the Nobel laureate said

Taking a dig at a section of Bangladeshi politicians, who said the country has legitimate claims over Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday wondered whether Indians "would have lollipop" when external forces would try to occupy Indian lands. Speaking in the West Bengal Assembly, she urged people to remain calm and not get provoked by statements made in Bangladesh, stating that West Bengal will always stand by any decision taken by the Centre. Mocking some Bangladeshi leaders, who have made provocative statements recently, she said, "Stay calm and healthy and have peace of mind." A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) recently said in a public meeting in Dhaka that the country has legitimate claims over Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. Asking people of West Bengal to remain calm and not get swayed by provocative statements made by some people in Bangladesh, she said, "In our state, even imams have condemned the comments and attacks on minorities in ..

Foreign Secretaries of India and Bangladesh met here Monday for the high-level talks between the two nations amid strained bilateral ties following the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Dhaka earlier in the day on an Indian Air Force jet for a day-long visit. Soon after his arrival here, Misri met his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Jashim Uddin and held one-on-one talks before the formal meeting with delegates from both sides. It is the first high-level visit by an Indian official since August 5 when Hasina was ousted. "The meeting between our foreign secretary Jashim Uddin and his counterpart Vikram Misri is taking place as scheduled at the state guest house Padma. They first held brief one-on-one talks and then the formal meeting began with delegates from both sides, a Bangladeshi foreign ministry official said. The official added that the Bangladeshi side would hold a media briefing later Monday about the talks, which

People from different faiths held a rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district on Monday to protest the attacks on Hindus and their temples in Bangladesh and called on the Centre to intervene. Carrying the Tricolour, religious flags and placards, members of Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities and MLA Surjeet Singh Salathia took part in the rally. They urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to ensure the safety of Hindus, a minority in Bangladesh. "The civil society took out a protest rally against violent attacks on Hindus and their temples. People from various communities, including Hindu, Sikh and Jain, participated in the protest against Bangladesh for what is happening there," said a protester Suraj Singh. He said the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh are increasing day by day while the world remains a mute spectator. "We cannot tolerate such mayhem against the community there. The prime minister and the government of India should intervene further and ensure it is

Atrocities which are being committed against the Hindus in Bangladesh should be stopped, West Bengal BJP President and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar added

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is on a one-day visit to Bangladesh, where he is expected to raise India's concerns over attacks on minorities, including Hindus

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Bangladesh on Monday on a day-long visit, the first high-level trip from India after a massive uprising ended deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule in August. Misri's visit comes amid increasing strain in ties between New Delhi and Dhaka over attacks on minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh after Hasina's ouster. He is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Md. Jashim Uddin and meet the country's de-facto foreign minister Mohammad Touhid Hossain. He is expected to raise with Dhaka India's concerns over attacks. The close ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August. Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India. The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna .

Northeast extremist groups have a history of launching hit-and-run attacks in India from bases in Bangladesh, allegedly with support from Pakistan's ISI and Bangladeshi intelligence agencies

In her first address since her ouster, former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina said minority communities had been subjected to severe persecution, citing the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is likely to visit Bangladesh next week for a foreign secretary-level meeting, amid tensions between the two countries after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power. Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hosain said the scheduled Foreign Secretary-level Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and India will take place in Dhaka on December 9 or 10, the state-run BSS news agency reported. It will be the first high-level visit by a senior Indian government official to Bangladesh since the interim government came to power on August 8 after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister. "It is very clear that we want a good relationship (with India)," Hosain told reporters at the Foreign Ministry here. However, he emphasised that relations between Bangladesh and India must be built on a reciprocal basis. "Both sides need to want that and should work for it." Hosain said while the FOC is scheduled for December 10, it might be

The practice of smuggling gold to buy grain has persisted even after India, the world's second-largest gold consumer, slashed 9 percentage points from its import duty in July

Donald Lu, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, is slated to visit India to co-lead the US-India East Asia Consultations, focusing on global and regional issues

Bangladesh has suspended all activities of its Assistant High Commission in Agartala after the breach of its premises