The foreign secretaries of Bangladesh and India are meeting in Bangladesh’s capital to discuss relations between the neighbours, including growing tensions since the fall of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
It comes after the recent arrest in Bangladesh of a Hindu spiritual leader under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Alleged attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh and on a Bangladesh diplomatic mission in India were also expected to feature prominently in the talks.
Supporters of Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia and her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) participate in an anti-India protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP)
India stopped issuing visas for Bangladeshis except emergency medical visas after Ms Hasina’s ouster.
Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri was holding the day-long talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Mohammad Jashim Uddin, in the first high-level visit by an Indian official since massive protests ended Ms Hasina’s 15-year rule.
Ms Hasina, who fled into exile in India in August, is thought to be a trusted friend of Hindu-majority India, which has raised concerns over allegation of attacks on religious minorities, especially Hindus, in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Most Bangladeshi Hindus are thought to be supporters of Ms Hasina’s secular Awami League party.
Hindus recently attacked a Bangladeshi diplomatic office in Agartala, the capital of the north-eastern Indian state of Tripura, in reaction to the arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Das Prabhu, who had led large rallies in recent months demanding better security for Hindus.
Tensions have been growing since the fall of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina (Altaf Qadri/AP)
Late last month, Hindu protesters also burned Bangladeshi flags in Kolkata, the capital of India’s eastern state of West Bengal, triggering protests by the Yunus-led government.
Other political parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s main political foe, and Islamist groups have protested against the attacks in Tripura.
Hindus also protested in parts of India against alleged attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and the jailing of Prabhu.
Mr Misri is to pay courtesy calls on Mr Yunus and foreign adviser Touhid Hossain before leaving for New Delhi later on Monday.