Ill winds blow in B’desh |
The death of Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore, where he had been taken for treatment after being shot in an assassination attempt, resulted in violence across Bangladesh. Hadi was an anti-Indian activist and convenor of the Inqilab Moncho, a group formed in the wake of the 2024 student-led uprising which led to the overthrow of the Sheikh Hasina regime. Expectedly, the blame for the killing shifted to India. This incident comes about two months before Bangladesh is to go to polls to elect a new government.
Since the exit of the Hasina regime, relations between India and Bangladesh have been deteriorating as caretaker chief Mohammed Yunus has sought to improve ties with India’s adversaries. He has also advocated for a SAARC, sans India. The Bangladesh Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, who continues to reside in India, has been banned from forthcoming polls while she has been sentenced to death over her role in curbing the student protests. Her trial has been negatively commented upon by global human rights bodies. Her party, the largest in the country, has threatened to protest, which could increase violence levels as elections draw close.
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Current protests, apart from torching major media houses, Prothom Alo and the Daily Star, assumed to be pro-India, also attempted to target the Indian embassy and consulates within the country. In addition, a Hindu youth, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was lynched and his body set ablaze while the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Chhayanaut, a hub for Bengali arts, was damaged. Places were specifically selected to project an anti-India sentiment. While protestors were prevented from entering Indian consular assets, work in them came to a standstill.
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The Indian government summoned the Bangladesh High Commissioner and registered a protest. The Bangladesh army chief telephonically assured........