‘India can’t interfere, but can persuade’: Shashi Tharoor on Bangladesh unrest and Hindu youth lynching

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has called on the Indian government to use diplomatic channels to urge Bangladesh to take “constructive steps” to protect minorities, following the lynching of a 25-year-old Hindu garment factory worker in Mymensingh over alleged blasphemy.

Speaking to the Indian Express, Tharoor said that while India cannot interfere in Bangladesh’s domestic affairs, it can exercise diplomatic influence as a nation “which has contributed in many ways” to the development of Bangladesh.

“India cannot interfere in the domestic affairs of a neighbouring country. But as a country which has contributed in many ways to the Bangladeshi nation and people, we can certainly exercise our diplomatic influence in Dhaka to persuade the government to take constructive steps,” he said.

Tharoor also commended the Narendra Modi government for its handling of Bangladesh-related issues following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster on August 5 last year, while urging support for efforts aimed at establishing an inclusive democracy in the country.

“The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs studied this in some detail and came up with a report just a few days ago. We commended the government on a constructive approach while urging it to support forces working towards an inclusive democracy in Bangladesh,” he added.

Lynching of Dipu Chandra Das and Bangladesh unrest

Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment worker, was lynched by a mob in Mymensingh on Friday over alleged blasphemy, and his body was reportedly set on fire. The incident sparked widespread outrage in India, including protests outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.

The killing followed a period of unrest in Bangladesh after the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Hadi, spokesperson for Inqilab Mancha, was critically injured in an assassination attempt in Dhaka on December 12 and later airlifted to Singapore for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore. Protests erupted in Dhaka and surrounding areas following his death, with demonstrators demanding justice.