In a sharp diplomatic rebuttal, India on April 18, rejected Bangladesh’s statement over the Waqf-related communal violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, calling Dhaka’s comments “disingenuous” and “unwarranted,” while advising its eastern neighbour to first address its own human rights failures towards minorities.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued the strongly worded response after Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus’s press secretary appealed to Indian authorities to “protect minority Muslim communities” following the recent violence in Murshidabad, which claimed three lives and left hundreds injured.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal categorically dismissed the Bangladeshi remarks, describing them as a “barely disguised and disingenuous attempt to draw a false equivalence” with India’s concerns over the systemic persecution of minorities in Bangladesh.
“We reject the remarks made by the Bangladeshi side with regard to the incidents in West Bengal,” Jaiswal stated.
“This is a barely disguised and disingenuous attempt to draw a parallel with India’s concerns over the ongoing persecution of minorities in Bangladesh, where the criminal perpetrators of such acts continue to roam free.”
Taking direct aim at Dhaka’s record, Jaiswal added,
“Instead of making unwarranted comments and indulging in virtue signalling, Bangladesh would do better to focus on protecting the rights of its own minorities.”
The exchange follows communal unrest that erupted in Murshidabad district on April 11, where mobs allegedly incited by opposition to the recently passed Waqf Amendment Act launched targeted attacks on Hindu households and temples. The violence prompted condemnation from civil society and was followed by a wave of arrests by West Bengal Police.
While Bangladesh sought to portray the incident as part of broader marginalization of Muslims, Indian officials highlighted that the Indian legal system was actively addressing the matter and called out Dhaka’s attempt to leverage the episode as a political counter-narrative.
India’s response also comes amid increased scrutiny of Bangladesh’s internal situation following the departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year. Rights organizations and observers have reported a surge in Islamist radicalism, often aimed at the Hindu minority.
According to human rights monitors, nearly 200 Hindu temples have been vandalized in the last year alone, and multiple priests and devotees have been arrested or assaulted. Notably, several high-profile attacks took place during Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja celebrations, triggering protests from minority groups within Bangladesh and abroad.
Despite repeated assurances by Bangladeshi authorities that minorities are safe, India has repeatedly flagged these issues through diplomatic backchannels. However, Dhaka has often denied systemic persecution, attributing the violence to isolated incidents or fringe groups.
International rights groups, including Amnesty International and the Hindu American Foundation, have raised alarms about what they describe as “a shrinking space” for religious minorities in Bangladesh.
