India has reacted strongly to Bangladesh’s comments on the violence in Murshidabad, West Bengal. India condemned Bangladesh’s “unwanted comments” and “virtual signaling” and advised it to focus on the safety of minorities in its country. This reaction came when Bangladesh’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam appealed to the Indian government and West Bengal to take steps to ensure full safety of the minority population of Muslims.
India’s response to Bangladesh’s comment
India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal called Bangladesh’s remarks “a covert and malicious attempt to distract attention from India’s ongoing atrocities against minorities”, saying that Bangladesh’s remarks were an attempt to divert attention from India’s ongoing atrocities against minorities, while in Bangladesh criminals against minorities are roaming freely. Jaiswal reminded Bangladesh that the number of cases of crimes against minority communities in its country is constantly increasing.
Increasing atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh
India’s response is important because last month Foreign Minister S Jaishankar informed Parliament that 2400 cases of atrocities against religious minorities were reported in Bangladesh in 2024. Jaishankar said that 72 such cases have happened so far in 2025. India also told Bangladesh that it should focus on the safety of its minority communities and not comment on India’s internal affairs.
Murshidabad violence and West Bengal government’s position
Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose has announced to visit violence-hit Murshidabad and said that he will “restore peace at any cost”. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, claimed that normalcy is slowly being restored and urged the governor to postpone his visit. Violence broke out on April 8 after peaceful demonstrations began in the Jangipur area on April 4, in which a crowd of thousands blocked NH-12. The police opened fire in self-defense and 278 people have been arrested so far.
