India rejects Bangladesh’s comment on Bengal violence: ‘Better focus on protecting your own minorities’

India on April 18 strongly rejected Bangladesh’s statement regarding the violence in West Bengal amid protests over the Waqf Amendment Act. The Minister of External Affairs (MEA) took a serious note of Bangladesh's comments, terming it a “disguised" attempt to draw a parallel with India’s concerns about the persecution of minorities in Dhaka.

“We reject the remarks made by the Bangladesh side with regard to the incidents in West Bengal,” MEA spokesperson  Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, a day after Bangladesh urged the Government of India and West Bengal to take all steps necessary to protect the minority Muslim population amid violence in the state. 

“This is a barely disguised and disingenuous attempt to draw a parallel with India's concerns over the ongoing persecution of minorities in Bangladesh, where the criminal perpetrators of such acts continue to roam free. Instead of making unwarranted comments and indulging in virtue signalling, Bangladesh would do better to focus on protecting the rights of its own minorities,” reads the MEA statement.

At least three people were killed and hundreds were rendered homeless in violence in Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj and Jangipur areas of Murshidabad during anti-Waqf (Amendment) Act protests late last week, prompting the deployment of central forces and the suspension of internet services.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of India granted the Centre a week's time to file a response to the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The top court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the new law.

The Centre also assured the court that no appointments will be made to the Waqf Councils or Waqf Boards until then, and no non-Muslims will be included in the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards until the next hearing.

The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, that came into force earlier this month, was challenged by a batch of petitions. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the bill during the recently concluded Budget Session of Parliament.

President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the proposed law on April 5.

What did Bangladesh say?

The Mohammad Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh on April 17 protested India’s attempts to link Bangladesh to communal violence in Murshidabad, West Bengal. The government urged India to take steps to protect its minority Muslim population.

“We strongly refute any attempts to implicate Bangladesh in the communal violence in Murshidabad," Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told BSS at the Foreign Service Academy.

“We urge the Government of India and West Bengal to take all steps to fully protect the minority Muslim population," he added.

(With agency inputs)