MEA asks Bangladesh interim government to bring the perpetrators violence against Hindus & other minorities to justice.
India supports a stable and peaceful Bangladesh where all issues are resolved through democratic means and participatory elections, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (March 7, 2025) even as it highlighted development cooperation as a priority area of bilateral relations.

“We support a stable, peaceful, inclusive and progressive Bangladesh in which all issues are resolved through democratic means and by holding inclusive and participatory elections,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, while expressing concern over the “deteriorating law and order situation” in Bangladesh.

He was responding to questions at the weekly media briefing in New Delhi.

‘Expect Bangladesh to Thoroughly Investigate Anti-Hindu Violence’
 Responding to a question on the safety and security of religious minorities and their institutions in Bangladesh, MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal said, “We have repeatedly underlined that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus and other minorities as well as their properties and religious institutions”.

He pointed out that so far, only 1254 incidents out of over 2374 incidents reported between August 5, 2024 and February 16, 2025 have been verified by the police. Further 98% of 1254 were deemed political in nature, he added. 

“We expect Bangladesh to thoroughly investigate and bring all perpetrators of killings, arson and violence to justice without making such distinctions,” MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal stated.

India-Bangladesh Development cooperation
 Senior officials from India and Bangladesh met in New Delhi recently to discuss issues related to the ongoing bilateral development cooperation.

Responding to questions on these discussions, the MEA Spokesperson said, “Development cooperation is a priority area of our relations with the people of Bangladesh. The recent security situation and long-standing local issues have affected the pace of implementation of some of these projects”. 

According to Jaiswal, the official discussions focused on “rationalising the project portfolio and executing mutually agreed-upon projects in a time-bound manner”. He maintained that India plans to move forward with these projects subject to obtaining the committed support and pending clearances from the Bangladesh side.

Asked about the Ganga Water Treaty between India and Bangladesh, Jaiswal said the 86th meeting of the Joint Committee constituted to oversee the implementation of the treaty was held on March 6, 2025 in Kolkata. “At the meeting, the two sides discussed technical issues pertaining to the Ganga Water Treaty, measurement of water flows and other issues of mutual interest,” he stated.