Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri To Visit Bangladesh Amid Strain In Ties

New Delhi:

India on Friday announced that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will travel to Bangladesh on Monday, a visit that comes amid increasing strain in ties between New Delhi and Dhaka over attacks on minorities, including Hindus, in the neighbouring country.

It will be the first high-level visit from New Delhi to Dhaka after deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh and took shelter in India following massive anti-government protests.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Mr Misri will travel to Bangladesh to attend a meeting under the framework of Foreign Office Consultations.

In Dhaka, the foreign secretary will hold talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart, besides holding several other meetings, he said.

"The foreign secretary is scheduled to visit Bangladesh for Foreign Office Consultations on December 9. This is part of our structured interactions with the Bangladesh side," Mr Jaiswal said.

Mr Jaiswal was responding to a question at his weekly media briefing.

On the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, the MEA spokesperson said India expects a fair, just and transparent legal process in the case.

"We have spoken on this issue earlier. We would like to reiterate our expectation that relevant legal processes underway in Bangladesh are executed in a fair, just and transparent manner, ensuring full respect for the legal rights of concerned individuals," he said.

The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power in the neighbouring country. The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Chinmoy Das.

The attacks triggered protests in India. The Bangladesh foreign ministry summoned the Indian envoy recently and lodged a protest over the storming of the Bangladeshi mission in Agartala by a group of protesters.

India last week said the interim government in Bangladesh must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the "surge" of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus.

India had also hoped that the case relating to Chinmoy Das, arrested on the charge of sedition, will be dealt with in a just and fair manner.

Chinmoy Das was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport last month in connection with a sedition case.