Bangladesh Nationalist Party holds protest march against India

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) organized a day-long protest march against India, condemning its “aggression and disinformation,” as well as a recent attack on the Bangladeshi diplomatic mission in Tripura, India.

Supporters of the party gathered in front of BNP’s headquarters in Dhaka before starting the so-called long march towards Brahmanbaria district, which is home to the Akhaura land port, located on the border with India’s northeastern city of Agartala.

The march followed an attack on the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala, after which Indian authorities expressed regret and made several arrests.

BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi criticized India for hosting Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, saying: “India is supporting the survival of the bloodthirsty lady (Hasina). Yet India is a democratic country!”

“India does not want the people of Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Sri Lanka to follow their own words. They want them to follow Delhi’s words,” Rizvi added.

On Sunday, BNP supporters had also marched towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

Hasina fled to India on August 5 amid a nationwide student uprising.

After her departure, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed office on August 8.

​​​​​​​On Monday, Bangladesh and India held their first-ever high-level diplomatic meeting in Dhaka.

Yunus also alleged that Hasina’s stay in India exacerbated tensions.

Meanwhile, according to local newspaper Prothom Alo, the Indian Coast Guard seized two vessels with 79 Bangladeshi sailors on board while they were fishing near Bangladesh’s territorial waters on Monday.

The Indian Coast Guard stated it apprehended two Bangladeshi fishing trawlers and 78 crew members for “unauthorized fishing in Indian waters.”