Protests break out in Bangladesh following an attack on its Agartala mission

On Monday night, thousands of people staged protests in Dhaka and other cities across Bangladesh, denouncing the attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, located in India’s Tripura state. 

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement organized a protest march on the Dhaka University campus to condemn the incident. The demonstration, led by platform convener Hasnat Abdullah, began at the Anti-terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture, with participants chanting slogans such as “Down with Indian aggression.” Abdullah had announced the protest through his verified Facebook page.

Earlier, the Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad held a rally at the same venue. President Bin Yamin Mollah demanded a formal apology from India over the attack, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of creating "a vulgar history" with the incident.

Protests also spread to other areas. Activists from the Bangladesh Juba Odhikar Parishad held a demonstration in Dhaka, while about 100 students at Jahangirnagar University conducted a torch procession across the campus. In Chattogram, the district chapter of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement organized a rally, emphasizing the need to maintain communal harmony to prevent conspiracies. Similar protests occurred in Cumilla, Khulna, and other parts of the country.

The attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala was reportedly carried out by members of the Hindu Sangharsh Samity, a right-wing group. Protesters allegedly burned Bangladesh's national flag outside the diplomatic office during a demonstration against what they claimed was the persecution of Bangladeshi Hindus and the detention of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a former ISKCON leader.

In response, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed regret over the incident, describing the breach of the diplomatic mission’s premises as "deeply regrettable." The MEA emphasized that diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances and stated that security measures for Bangladesh’s High Commission and consulates in India were being enhanced.

The Bangladeshi government strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a "heinous" act and expressing "deep resentment" over the violent demonstration. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted that the incident violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, which ensures the protection of diplomatic missions. It also noted a pattern of such actions, referencing a similar demonstration in Kolkata on November 28.