‘Bangladesh failing to maintain law and order’, says India

India on Friday firmly rejected accusations of its involvement in the recent violence in Khagrachhari, saying Bangladesh’s interim government was trying to deflect responsibility for its inability to maintain law and order.

“We categorically reject these false and baseless allegations,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters at his weekly briefing. “The interim government of Bangladesh is failing to uphold law and order. It has a habit of shifting the blame for its failures elsewhere,” he said, as quoted by India Today.

The exchange followed comments earlier this week by Bangladesh’s Home Affairs Adviser, Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, who alleged that India or “fascist elements” were instigating the unrest in Khagrachhari. He also suggested a connection between the violence and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, after a mass uprising. Dhaka has repeatedly accused Hasina of attempting to destabilise the country from Indian soil.

In response, Jaiswal turned the spotlight back on Bangladesh, accusing extremist groups of targeting minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). “I would call upon Dhaka to introspect and seriously investigate the attacks by extremists on minorities and the occupation of their land in the CHT,” he said.

The recent turmoil in Khagrachhari erupted after a teenage girl in Singinala area of Khagrachhari Sadar upazila was allegedly raped on September 23. Her father filed a case against three unknown assailants, and police arrested 19-year-old Shayan Shil the following day. However, medical examinations later confirmed the girl had not been raped.

Despite this finding, miscreants used the initial allegation to incite violence. Over the following days, hundreds of homes and shops were vandalised and torched, triggering widespread unrest across the district.