Delhi on Khaleda Zia’s son Rahman’s return: Polls must be free, inclusive

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, told reporters: “India stands for strengthening our ties with the people of Bangladesh. We favour peace and stability in Bangladesh and have consistently called for free, fair, inclusive and participatory elections in Bangladesh.”

Underlining the “unremitting hostilities” against minorities in Bangladesh and flagging it “as a matter of grave concern,” Jaiswal said India condemns the killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh. In Mymensingh, Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy, and his body was later set on fire on December 18.

“The unremitting hostilities against the minorities in Bangladesh including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists is a matter of grave concern. We condemn the recent killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh and expect that the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice,” he said.

Tensions between India and Bangladesh escalated last week following the death of July 2024 uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi. He died on December 18, six days after he was shot in Dhaka. As protests erupted on both sides of the border, Delhi and Dhaka summoned each other’s envoys earlier this week to express concern over the situation.

According to Jaiswal, over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities have been documented in Bangladesh by independent sources during the tenure of the interim government. “The incidents of violence against minorities in Bangladesh cannot be brushed aside as media exaggeration or dismissed as political violence,” he said.

Soon after he returned to Dhaka, Rahman said, “It is time for us all to build the country together. We want to build a safe Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, no matter who a woman, man, or child is, they should be able to leave their homes safely and return safely.”

Invoking Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” remark, he said: “I have a plan for the people of my country and for my country… This plan is for the interest of the people, for the development of the country, for changing the lot of the country. To implement the plan, I need the support of all the people of the country.”