Bangladesh consular service in Agartala shut down
Dhaka has halted consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, the capital of India’s Northeastern state of Tripura, following an attack on the diplomatic facility.
The interim government took the decision of closure today, Tuesday.
Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain told Prothom Alo a decision has been taken to close the consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala because of security concerns. As a result, visa service from this mission will remain closed.
The Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala was attacked on Monday.
The foreign ministry summoned the Indian high commissioner in Dhaka Pranay Verma in protest of the attack on Bangladesh assistant high commission and desecration of the national flag of Bangladesh.
Dhaka also sent a note verbale to India’s external affairs ministry calling upon the Indian government to take necessary measures in order to prevent occurrences of such incidents in the future. Dhaka also called New Delhi to ensure safety and security of the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata and other diplomatic missions of Bangladesh in India as well as its diplomats and non-diplomatic members of staff.
India’s external affairs ministry has expressed regret over the incident in Agartala, stating that diplomatic and consular properties should never be targeted under any circumstances.
In connection with the attack, seven people have been arrested in Tripura on Tuesday, and administrative action has been taken against four police officers.
Anger and demonstrations erupted following the arrest of Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatan Jagaran Jote spokesperson and Pundarik Dham principal Chinmay Krishna Das, as the event is being seen as a repression on minorities.
However, the attack on the Agartala diplomatic facility took place amid the attempt to intrude into Bangladesh via Sutarkani land port as part of the protest by a group of rowdy protesters.
This report appeared in the online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna.