New Delhi: India on Sunday (December 21) rejected reports of a security breach at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi as “misleading propaganda” while expressing grave concern over the “horrendous killing” of a member of the Hindu community in Mymensingh, amid diplomatic tensions triggered by recent violence in Bangladesh.In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that reports circulating in Bangladesh had misrepresented the facts surrounding the incident on the night of December 20. “We have noted misleading propaganda in sections of the Bangladesh media on the incident,” he said.Jaiswal clarified that “about 20-25 youth gathered in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on December 20 and raised slogans in protest against the horrendous killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh, while also calling for the protection of all minorities in Bangladesh.”He stressed that “there was no attempt to breach the fence or create a security situation at any time,” adding that police dispersed the group within minutes and that “visual evidence of these events is available publicly for all to see.”The spokesperson underscored India’s responsibility towards diplomatic missions, saying, “India is committed to ensure the safety of foreign Missions/Posts in its territory in accordance with the Vienna Convention.” He added that New Delhi was monitoring developments closely, noting, “India continues to keep a close watch on the evolving situation in Bangladesh.”Later on Sunday, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a sharp rebuttal, describing the incident at its High Commission as “unjustifiable” and “highly regrettable.” In a press release, the ministry said it “cannot be accepted as ‘misleading propaganda’,” directly challenging India’s framing of the event.“The miscreants were allowed to carry out their activities right outside the perimeters of the High Commission, creating panic among the personnel inside the complex. The High Commission was not given advance information about this organized event,” the statement said, while noting “the commitment of the Government of India to ensure the safety and security of all Bangladesh diplomatic posts in India.”Bangladesh also pushed back against India’s characterisation of the Mymensingh killing. “We reject the attempt of the Indian authorities to depict an isolated attack on a Bangladeshi citizen, who happens to belong to the Hindu community, as attacks on minorities,” the ministry stated.The statement emphasised that “the Government of Bangladesh has promptly apprehended the suspects in this incident,” adding that “the intercommunal situation in Bangladesh is better than in many other parts in South Asia.” Bangladesh said it “believes that it is the duty of all governments in the region to ensure protection of minorities in their respective countries.”The protest in New Delhi followed the killing of Das, a garment worker who was lynched by a mob in Mymensingh on December 18, the same day that a wave of violence gripped Bangladesh after the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Das’s body was subsequently hung from a tree on the median of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and set on fire.The MEA stated that India had taken up the matter with Dhaka. “Our officials remain in touch with Bangladesh authorities and have conveyed to them our strong concerns at the attacks on minorities,” Jaiswal said, adding, “We have also urged that the perpetrators of the barbaric killing of Das be brought to justice.”Bangladeshi authorities have said investigations are ongoing. According to local media reports, at least 12 people have been arrested so far in connection with the Mymensingh mob killing.According to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Das was forced to resign from his position as a quality supervisor at Pioneers Knitwear (BD) Limited by the factory’s floor in-charge, Mohammad Alamgir Hossain, and then handed over to an enraged mob. At a press conference held on Saturday afternoon at RAB-14’s Mymensingh office, Commander Naimul Hasan stated that the blasphemy allegations were “extremely vague” and investigators could not determine what Das had actually said.Das’s brother Opu Chandra Das firmly rejected the allegations, telling media there was no evidence his brother made any such remarks. “They claim my brother made derogatory remarks about religion, but there is no evidence. Even if he had said something and it was an offence, the matter could have been dealt with through legal channels. Instead, he was brutally murdered. I demand justice for those terrorists who killed him by making false allegations,” he told Prothom Alo.Bangladesh’s interim government has called Das’s death a “lynching” and stated there is “no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh”, with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus promising that perpetrators “will not be spared.”Diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh have come under severe strain following the shooting of Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old spokesperson for the platform Inqilab Moncho and a prominent figure from the July 2024 student-led uprising that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.Hadi was shot in the head by masked assailants on December 12 while launching his election campaign in Dhaka. He died six days later while undergoing treatment in Singapore. His death triggered widespread anti-India sentiment as protesters alleged that those responsible for the shooting had sought refuge in India.Shortly after his death was announced on Thursday, demonstrators vandalized and set fire to the offices of major newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka. In Chittagong, protesters threw stones and bricks at the Indian Assistant High Commission, injuring at least four people including two police officers.Following the shooting of Hadi, Dhaka first summoned India’s High Commissioner Pranay Verma on December 15 to lodge a protest over Hasina’s alleged political activities from Indian soil and to seek cooperation in case the suspects in Hadi’s shooting flee across the border.The Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs also conveyed that absconding Awami League leaders staying in India are continuing conspiracies to carry out terrorist activities aimed at thwarting Bangladesh’s upcoming elections scheduled for Feb 12, 2026.Subsequently, on December 17, India summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah in New Delhi, conveying what the MEA described as its strong concerns over the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh and the activities of extremist elements targeting Indian missions. The summons were triggered by calls from groups such as July Oikya for a march towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. New Delhi viewed the call as a direct threat to the safety of its diplomatic personnel and premises.India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a strongly worded statement saying, “India completely rejects the false narrative sought to be created by extremist elements regarding certain recent events in Bangladesh. It is unfortunate that the interim government has neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India regarding the incidents.”India also underlined its expectation that Bangladesh would ensure the safety of diplomatic missions in line with its international obligations.Amid continuing unrest, authorities have tightened security around their diplomatic presence in Bangladesh. While there is no plan at this stage to evacuate diplomatic personnel, consular services have been affected.On Sunday, the Indian Visa Application Centre in Chattogram announced the indefinite suspension of its operations citing security concerns following demonstrations near the Assistant High Commission.On Thursday, the India Visa Application Centre was shut down following the call for a march to the Indian High Commission. It was reopened on Friday.