Tripura: 7 arrested, 3 officers suspended after B'desh mission vandalism

In Agartala, Tripura, seven individuals were arrested and three police officers were suspended following the vandalism at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission on Monday. Protestors from the Hindu Sangharsh Samiti breached security at the mission, pulled down the national flag, and damaged property.

The three suspended officers, Sub-Inspectors Dilu Jamatia and Joynal Hossain, and Sergeant Debabrata Sinha are facing departmental proceedings for negligence. Additional security measures, including increased patrolling, have been implemented near the diplomatic mission.

The accused were charged with assaulting public servants on duty, unlawful assembly, rioting, and criminal trespassing under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The protest was sparked by the arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Chittagong, Bangladesh, on November 25. Das, the spokesperson for the Sammilito Sanatani Jagaron Jote, was arrested on sedition charges after allegedly insulting Bangladesh’s national flag during an October rally. He previously affiliated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in West Bengal.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs expressed regret over the incident and stated that steps are being taken to enhance security at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and its other diplomatic offices in India.

Bangladesh’s foreign ministry condemned the attack, calling it a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It also noted an incident on November 28 in Kolkata where protestors reportedly burned the Bangladeshi flag and urged Indian authorities to prevent further violence against its diplomatic missions. Dhaka accused law enforcement of passivity, claiming that the vandalism occurred with police present and that the protest was planned.