India Dismisses Bangladesh’s 'False & Baseless' Khagrachhari Violence Allegations, Urges Dhaka To Probe Local Extremists

New Delhi: India on Friday, October 3, strongly rejected Bangladesh’s interim government’s claims that New Delhi had a role in inciting the recent violence in Khagrachhari district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, describing the allegations as “false and baseless”.

Responding to questions on comments made by Bangladesh home affairs adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We categorically reject these false and baseless allegations. The interim government of Bangladesh is unable to maintain law and order in Bangladesh and has a habit of routinely trying to shift the blame elsewhere.”

Have a look at his entire statement here:

Jaiswal added that Dhaka “would do well to introspect and conduct serious investigations into the actions of local extremists committing violence, arson and land grabs against the minority communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.”

Violence in Chittagong Hill Tracts

The interim government in Dhaka had earlier alleged that groups were attempting to stoke sectarian unrest in Khagrachhari, where clashes broke out on Sunday between Indigenous tribes and Bengali settlers. At least three people were killed and dozens injured in Guimara, around 36 km south of Khagrachhari town.

Local media reports said the violence followed protests over the alleged gang rape of a tribal girl last week. Chowdhury had claimed that the disturbances were linked to attempts to disrupt the festive atmosphere during Durga Puja, and sought to connect the unrest to deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and to India, though no evidence was presented.

The interim administration said it was deploying maximum efforts to prevent further escalation in the restive region.