Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to visit Bangladesh amid violence against Hindus

There are continuous attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh and many Hindu temples have been targeted by fundamentalists. At such a time, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will visit Bangladesh on 9 December. During this, Misri will lead the Foreign Office Consultations with Bangladesh and will meet his counterpart. He will also participate in many other meetings during his visit. The Ministry of External Affairs gave this information on Friday. During the rule of the interim government of Bangladesh led by Mohammad Yunus, there have been continuous attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, due to which relations between the two countries are tense. In a weekly press conference, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "The Foreign Secretary is scheduled to visit Bangladesh on 9 December. He will meet his counterpart and there will be several other meetings during his visit. The Foreign Office Consultation led by the Foreign Secretary is a structural engagement between India and Bangladesh. We look forward to it."

When asked about the ground situation in Bangladesh and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, the Ministry of External Affairs expressed hope that the legal rights of the persons concerned will be respected and the trial will be conducted in a "fair and transparent" manner.

Jaiswal said, "We want to reiterate our position that they have legal rights and we hope that these legal rights will be respected and the trial will be fair and transparent. They will get a fair and transparent trial."

Chinmoy Krishna Das, associated with Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jot, was arrested in Dhaka on November 25 on charges of 'sedition'. The arrest came after a complaint by a local politician on October 31, accusing Chinmoy Das and others of insulting the national flag of Bangladesh during a rally of the Hindu community.

A Bangladesh court on December 3 fixed January 2, 2025, as the next date of hearing in the case. According to The Daily Star report, the Chittagong court has postponed the hearing on Chinmoy Krishna Das' bail plea till January 2. Chittagong Metropolitan Session Judge Saifullah Islam gave a new date for the hearing as the defense lawyer was absent from the court.

Earlier on December 4, Shafikul Alam, press secretary to the chief advisor of the interim government of Bangladesh, had said that the foreign secretaries of the two countries would discuss issues of mutual interest.

Shafiqul Alam said, "We were waiting for the visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary. Both the Foreign Secretaries are going to discuss the issues of mutual interest and we hope that these meetings will help in deepening the relations between the two neighbours."