Dhaka lodges protest with India after ex-Premier Hasina's virtual speech triggers violence in Bangladesh

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Bangladesh on Thursday lodged a protest with India after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s virtual speech triggered violence in the country.

The protest was filed “over the false and fabricated comments and statements continuously being made on different platforms, including social media, by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, instigating instability in Bangladesh,” said the country's Foreign Ministry in a statement.

​​​​​​​Hasina made a virtual address Wednesday night from India which sparked violent protests in Bangladesh.

Angry protesters torched and vandalized the house-turned-museum of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding president of Bangladesh, and other structures named after his family members across the country.

Allowing Hasina to do such activities from India was “not conducive to the efforts at establishing a healthy relationship between the two countries,” said the statement.​​​​​​​

Calling Hasina's activities from India a “hostile act” towards Bangladesh, the ministry urged New Delhi to "immediately take appropriate measures to stop the former prime minister from making such “false, fabricated and incendiary statements."

Foreign Affairs Advisor Md. Touhid Hossain Thursday said the ministry had summoned the acting Indian high commissioner to restrain Hasina.

"We have not received any response to it yet," he said.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​