Protests in Bangladesh as India cites security concerns

Bangladeshi police on Thursday prevented protesters from marching on an Indian diplomatic mission, a day after India’s foreign ministry expressed concern over the “deteriorating” security environment in the country.

Ties between the two countries have cooled since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India following a student-led uprising last year.

Dhaka has repeatedly sought her extradition so she can stand trial for her alleged crimes, with Delhi saying it is considering the requests.

On Thursday, dozens of protesters began marching towards the Indian High Commissioner’s assistant office in the Rajshahi district bordering India.

Miftahul Janat, one of the protesters, said the plan was to hold a sit-in protest, demanding the “repatriation of all the killers, including Sheikh Hasina.”

Read more: WADA again names India as world’s top sports doping offender

The protest was stopped by the police, who said they “heard their demands and promised to forward them to the authorities”.

“We are not aware of any other plans (for protests) and we hope the matter will be resolved peacefully,” Nasheed Farhad, a senior officer of the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, told AFP.

On Wednesday, a group of protesters attempted to march on the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

India’s foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned Bangladesh’s top diplomat in New Delhi to express its concerns over the actions of some “extremist elements”.

In a statement, the ministry also said it expects the interim government under Mohammad Yunus to “ensure the security of missions and posts in Bangladesh in accordance with its diplomatic obligations.”

Hasina, 78, was sentenced to death in absentia by a Bangladesh court last month for crimes against humanity.

The country of 170 million people goes to the polls on February 12, with Hasina’s former ruling party, the Awami League, banned from running.