Agartala mission of Bangladesh attacked, flag burnt

Bangladesh's Assistant High Commission in Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tripura, came under attack by Hindu protesters on Monday.

According to eyewitness accounts of the incident, the supporters of the Hindu Sangharsh Samity launched the attack and also set the national flag of Bangladesh afire.

Sources said the Hindu nationalists in groups massed on the premises of the diplomatic mission chanting slogans against Bangladesh, and the incident prompted protests from Dhaka.

Media reports said the "heinous attack" was orchestrated on the mission premises in broad daylight, facing no interception.

The Agartala-based Jubo Congress also staged a demonstration on the integrated checkpoint across the Indo-Bangladesh border.

However, the situations in both places remained calm after the day's demonstrations.

Following the incidents, the External Affairs Ministry of India termed the incident 'regrettable'.

In reaction to the events in Agartala, Dhaka said it "deeply resents" the "violent demonstration and attack" by Hindu protesters.

Foreign ministry in a statement underlined that this "heinous attack" on a diplomatic mission of Bangladesh and the desecration of its flag resembled the 28 November violent demonstrations in Kolkata.

"This particular act in Agartala stands in violation of the inviolability of diplomatic missions, as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 asks for," the rebuttal reads.

The concatenation of demonstrations in India followed the detention of former Iskcon leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka last week.

Meanwhile, all trade activities, including import and export, through the Zakiganj Customs Station in Sylhet have been suspended following protests by Indian demonstrators, reports UNB.

The shutdown occurred Monday due to agitation by the Sanatani Oikya Mancha, a group in Sreebhumi (Karimganj) of Assam, India.

Earlier in the day, around six tonnes of oranges were imported into Bangladesh from Sreebhumi via Zakiganj Customs Station.

Efforts by Bangladeshi customs officials to contact their counterparts at Sreebhumi Customs Station regarding the suspension were unsuccessful, as Indian officials did not respond to calls, according to a customs official in Zakiganj.

Jahangir Hossain, revenue officer at Zakiganj Customs Station, confirmed the halt in trade and said, "Protesters in Sreebhumi turned back trucks carrying goods imported under Bangladeshi LCs."

He noted that while no goods have been exported from Bangladesh to India via Zakiganj for a long time, certain items, including fruits, are imported. Meanwhile, goods from Bangladeshi companies such as Pran and Akij are regularly exported to India through Sheola (Sutarkandi) Land Port.

Sources on the Indian side revealed that earlier Monday, members of the Sanatani Oikya Mancha burned Bangladeshi products, including potatoes and cakes exported through the Sheola Land Port. The group has also announced a boycott of Bangladeshi goods.