India on Friday issued a strong rebuttal to Bangladesh’s comments on the recent communal unrest in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, where three people lost their lives in clashes following protests over the Waqf Amendment Act.
Reacting sharply, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed Bangladesh’s remarks as an attempt to deflect attention from its own internal issues concerning minority rights.
"We reject the remarks made by the Bangladesh side with regard to the incidents in West Bengal. 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," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in an official statement.
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 remarks came after Bangladesh's interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus' press secretary, Shafiqul Islam, stated that Dhaka “strongly protested” India’s attempt to involve Bangladesh in the matter. “We urge the Government of India and West Bengal to take all steps to fully protect the minority Muslim population," Islam was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
