New Delhi [India], December 26 : Foreign Affairs Expert Waiel Awwad on Friday commented on the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh, warning that rising extremism and targeted incidents were straining India-Bangladesh relations and placing responsibility squarely on the Bangladeshi government.
Speaking to ANI, Awwad said, "Bangladesh cannot survive without India. But it is an era where we are seeing extremists taking charge in Bangladesh, and the extremism prevailing on the streets."
Linking the unrest to growing hostility towards India, he pointed to deliberate efforts by certain groups to widen the rift between the two countries. "There are certain elements within Bangladesh who want to create a rift between India and Bangladesh, and that anti-India sentiment is increasing because of the incidents they have been carrying out intentionally," he said.
Awwad stressed that such incidents could not be dismissed as isolated. "So the government cannot say it is an isolated incident. They have to bear responsibility and ensure this is not repeated," he said, calling for accountability and concrete steps to prevent further violence.
Raising concerns over attacks on religious sites and minority communities, Awwad said, "The places of worship should not be targeted, whether it's a Christian, a Hindu or a minority Muslim."
He added that firm action and assurances were needed to restore confidence. "There has to be some kind of action and assurances to the people and to India that such an action should not be repeated," he said.
Awwad's remarks come amid reports of recent mob lynchings targeting Hindu youths in Bangladesh.
On Wednesday, The Daily Star reported that a Hindu youth identified as Amrit Mondal was lynched at Hosendanga village of Kalimohor union in Rajbari's Pangsha sub-district over an extortion allegation.
Police rushed to the spot after receiving information and rescued Mondal, also known as Samrat, in critical condition.
The killing occurred days after another incident of mob violence in Bangladesh's Mymensingh district, where Hindu youth Dipu Chandra Das was lynched and set on fire.
Dipu Chandra Das, a garment factory worker, was beaten to death by a mob on December 18 over alleged blasphemy charges, after which his body was hanged and burnt.
According to The Daily Star, Mymensingh's Additional Superintendent of Police Abdullah Al Mamun said a factory official informed Bhaluka police that a group of workers attacked Dipu inside the factory, accusing him of making "derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad" in a Facebook post.
However, RAB-14 Company Commander in Mymensingh, Md Samsuzzaman, told The Daily Star that investigators found no evidence suggesting the victim had posted or written anything on Facebook that could have hurt religious sentiments, adding that neither residents nor fellow workers could point to any such activity by Dipu Chandra Das.