PM Modi raises concern over safety of minorities, including Hindus in Bangladesh in meeting with Yunus

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in a press briefing on Friday, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised concerns over the safety and security of minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh in his meeting with Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok. The PM conveyed the expectation that the Bangladeshi government would ensure their security, including by thoroughly investigating cases of atrocities against them. It was their first meeting since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year

Briefing reporters on Modi’s meeting with Yunus, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Modi underlined India’s concerns related to the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh including Hindus.

During his meeting with Yunus, PM Modi also urged that any rhetoric that vitiates the environment should be avoided, the foreign secretary said. Reiterating India’s support for a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh, the PM also talked about the border and the strict enforcement of the law and curbing illegal border crossings, especially at night for maintaining border security and stability.

“He underlined that India believed in a people-centric approach to the relationship and highlighted the cooperation between the two countries over a long period of time that has delivered tangible benefits to the people of both countries. In this spirit, he underlined to Professor Yunus India’s desire to forge a positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on a spirit of pragmatism,” Misri said on the meeting.

Asked if Yunus raised the issue of the extradition of Hasina, Misri did not give a direct reply. He said it is not proper to talk about this issue at the moment and the ministry in the past has already said that it has received a request from Bangladesh.