Anti-India Elements Running Loose: Shashi Tharoor Weighs In On Escalating Bangladesh Tensions
Bangladesh has been rocked by violent protests since late Thursday after the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, with concerns of further unrest ahead of national elections in the country.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has expressed concern over the escalating unrest in Bangladesh, noting that “irresponsible elements” are making provocative statements against India.
“We are concerned and there are irresponsible elements in Bangladesh who are saying very, very silly things. You saw the statement recently from one student leader saying he's going to separate the seven states from the rest of India. Who is he to talk like this? But people are doing this, and therefore, we are very conscious that such elements are running loose,” Tharoor told news agency ANI.
He urged authorities to ensure India’s “fundamental interests” are not harmed, while supporting “stability, peace and democracy in Bangladesh.”
Tharoor was referring to Bangladesh Chhatra League leader Nahid Islam, who recently warned that "we would isolate the seven sisters and give refuge to separatists” if India interfered in Bangladesh’s internal affairs, according to The Print. Seven sisters was a reference used for India's northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
On Thursday, an Indian Parliamentary Standing Committee report, chaired by Tharoor, called the current situation in Bangladesh the “greatest strategic challenge” for India since the 1971 Liberation War.
Bangladesh has been rocked by violent protests since late Thursday after the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, with concerns of further unrest ahead of national elections in the country.
Hadi, a student leader during last year's uprising that overthrew the Sheikh Hasina government, was shot in the head by masked assailants last Friday as he launched his election campaign in Dhaka, according to NDTV. He was initially treated at a local hospital before being moved to Singapore, where he died after spending six days on life support.
Amid escalating security concerns and a surge in hate-driven and radical rhetoric targeting India and its territorial sovereignty, the Indian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka has announced an indefinite closure.
"These are clearly being orchestrated by those who are opposed to India. This is a way to ratchet up pressure and appeal to anti-India elements before the elections," said Former Foreign Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
