Bangladesh summoned India's top envoy after fresh protests outside its High Commission in New Delhi over the December 18 lynching of a Hindu garment worker. Seven suspects have been arrested in the case, which has intensified anti-India sentiment and sparked clashes outside the mission. The diplomatic row occurs amid wider political turmoil in Bangladesh following the exile and death sentence in absentia of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and recent attacks that have disrupted campaigning ahead of next year's election.
Bangladesh Summons Indian Envoy After Violent Protests Outside High Commission in Delhi
Security personnel try to stop Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists along with others during a protest march near the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on December 23, 2025, to condemn the killing of Hindu garment worker Dipu Chandra Das. On December 18, angry mobs in the majority Muslim nation of Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka attacked the offices of Prothom Alo and the Daily Star, torching parts of the buildings and vandalising the premises of the two publications caught up in surging anti-India sentiment in the wake of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi's death. The violence also saw Hindu garment worker Das killed following allegations of blasphemy. (Arun SANKAR)(Arun SANKAR/AFP/AFP)
Bangladesh on Tuesday summoned India's top diplomatic representative after fresh demonstrations erupted outside the Bangladeshi High Commission in New Delhi, sparked by the mob lynching of a Hindu garment worker in Dhaka on December 18.
The worker, accused of blasphemy, was killed amid rising anti-India sentiment in the neighbouring, majority-Muslim country. Authorities have arrested seven suspects in connection with the killing.
Hundreds of protesters gathered near Bangladesh's High Commission in New Delhi, waving saffron flags and holding banners, one of which read: "Stop Killing Hindus in Bangladesh." Puneet Gautam, 37, a demonstrator and member of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), was quoted saying, "Hindus are warning Bangladesh that it is taking the wrong approach."
VHP activists and security personnel clashed outside the diplomatic mission as the crowd pushed through yellow metal barricades roughly 300 metres from the building. Earlier the same day, Bangladesh's foreign ministry summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to register "grave concern" about prior protests outside Bangladeshi visa centres.
In a statement, Bangladesh's foreign ministry cited "regrettable incidents" and alleged vandalism at its visa centres in New Delhi and Siliguri last week; India has dismissed those accounts as "misleading propaganda." Ties between the neighbours have deteriorated amid political turmoil in Bangladesh, including the exile and death sentence in absentia of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is reported to be in India.
Political violence has disrupted campaigning ahead of next year’s parliamentary election. This month, parliamentary hopeful and vocal India critic Sharif Osman Hadi was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka, with unconfirmed reports suggesting the attackers may have fled to India. The killing touched off protests in Dhaka, where arsonists set fire to several buildings, including two newspapers seen as pro-India and a prominent cultural institution.
Mobs also hurled stones at the Indian High Commission in the port city of Chattogram, prompting India to suspend visa services there; on Monday, Dhaka temporarily suspended visa services in Delhi. Russia has urged both capitals to de-escalate and mend ties. "The sooner this happens, the better," Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander G. Khozin told the Dhaka Tribune.
Sources: sa/abh/cwl/lb
