Bangladesh on Thursday, 12 December, summoned the Indian envoy, Riva Ganguly Das and lodged its protest after the convoy of the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Guwahati was attacked on Wednesday, PTI reported.
Assistant High Commissioner Dr Shah Mohammad Tanvir Mansur was attacked by people protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (now an Act after receiving President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent) in Guwahati, while his convoy was returning home from the airport, The Hindu reported.
The Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh asked India to enhance security for its Guwahati mission after a mob defaced two signposts near the chancery, amid protests against the CAB that have rocked Assam.
The Foreign Ministry in Dhaka said in a statement that Indian High Commissioner Riva Ganguly Das met acting foreign secretary Kamrul Ahsan at his office on Thursday evening.
India Taking Measures to Increase Security
Ahsan "protested about the attack on the convoy of the (Bangladesh) assistant high commissioner and vandalisation of the signposts (of Bangladesh Chancery in Guwahati)".
“He (Ahsan) requested for protection of personnel and property of the Mission by the host government,” the statement said.
The Indian envoy offered assurances that the Indian authorities were being immediately alerted for enhanced security of the Bangladesh chancery and the assistant high commissioner's residence in Guwahati, it said.
"The appropriate Indian authorities have already taken enhanced security measures to protect the assistant high commission premise, its personnel and members of their families," the statement quoted Das as saying, according to PTI.
Bangladesh, however, "believes that the attack on the convoy of the assistant high commissioner and vandalisation of the signposts is a one-off incident and it will not affect the excellent bilateral relations that Bangladesh and India enjoy", it said.
Two persons were killed on Thursday in police firing in Assam to quell protests, with thousands descending on the streets defying curfew as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed his government was committed to safeguarding their rights.
(With inputs from PTI and The Hindu.)
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