Why would extremists be allowed to enter that area: Foreign affairs adviser

Foreign affairs adviser Touhid Hossain has questioned why members of an extremist Hindu organisation were allowed to gather in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi. He stated that, following the incident, the family of the Bangladesh High Commissioner posted in Delhi has been feeling at risk.

Responding to newspersons at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday afternoon over the protest that took place in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi on Saturday night, adviser Touhid Hossain said that the Bangladesh mission is located in a highly secure area within the diplomatic zone in Delhi. He questioned how Hindu extremists could have entered that area, suggesting that it seemed as if they had been allowed in, which should not normally be possible.

Late on Saturday night, a group of people staged a protest in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi under the banner of ‘Akhand Hindu Rashtra Sena’. The group, numbering around 20 to 25, displayed a banner for roughly 20 minutes and shouted various slogans against Bangladesh. During the protest, the demonstrators reportedly threatened Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah.

Touhid Hossain said, “They claim it was a group of 20–25 people. How could a small group of 25 or 30 Hindu extremists enter such a sensitive area? Were they allowed to? Normally, they should not have been able to get in. They did not simply protest against the killing of a Hindu citizen; they said many other things, which we are aware of.”

The Foreign affairs adviser added, “I do not have proof, but we have heard that threats were made against the High Commissioner. Why would anyone come there just to threaten him?” He also stated that since the incident, the High Commissioner’s family in Delhi has been feeling threatened and unsafe.