New Delhi: Bangladesh on December 23 summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma for the second time in 10 days to convey “deep concern” over protests by Hindutva groups outside its diplomatic missions in India where barricades were toppled as police halted demonstrators. Later, the Indian external affairs ministry also summoned the Bangladeshi envoy to convey its concerns.The summoning was followed by a sharply worded statement issued by the Bangladesh foreign ministry, which condemned what it termed the “premeditated violence or intimidation against diplomatic establishments” in reference to protests outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and the Bangladesh visa application centre in Siliguri.“Bangladesh also expressed deep concern over violent protests staged outside the premises of the different Diplomatic Missions of Bangladesh in India,” said the Bangladeshi foreign ministry, adding that India was responsible for the safety and security of foreign missions in accordance with international obligations.After Bangladesh summoned the Indian envoy in Dhaka on Tuesday, New Delhi also called in the Bangladesh High Commissioner for a meeting with the joint secretary handling the Bangladesh desk in South Block.Unlike on previous occasions, there was no official announcement of the meeting, though sources confirmed that it took place. According to official sources, the Bangladeshi envoy was told that protesters had been stopped well before reaching the high commission premises and that there was no threat to the safety of diplomats. He was also told that Dhaka should refrain from making allegations against India without basis, in reference to claims relating to suspects in the shooting of Bangladeshi youth leader Osman Hadi.Last night, Bangladesh had suspended all visa and consular services in New Delhi and Siliguri, according to notices issued at the two locations. The suspension followed a series of protests and, in Siliguri, a direct intrusion into the visa application centre, which staff were forced to shut down.The killing of Dipu DasThe demonstrations in India followed the killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment factory worker in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district. Das, was lynched on the night of December 18 following allegations of blasphemy. According to police accounts cited in Bangladeshi media, he was first attacked by a mob outside his workplace, later hanged from a tree, and his body left by the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway before being set on fire.A protest linked to the killing was reported first on the night of December 20 outside the residence of the Bangladesh High Commissioner in New Delhi. Bangladeshi media reports said around 20 to 25 protesters gathered there for around 20 minutes.India has rejected Bangladesh’s characterisation of the protests in India, with Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stating that there had been no attempt to breach the perimeter and that police dispersed the group within minutes. At the same time, India condemned what it described as the “horrendous killing” of Dipu Chandra Das and called on Bangladeshi authorities to bring those responsible to justice.The Bangladesh foreign ministry subsequently issued a statement describing the incident as highly regrettable and dismissed India’s characterisation of the protest as minor. Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain later said the High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah and his family felt threatened during the demonstration. Demonstrations in Delhi, Kolkata, J&KToday, a much larger demonstration was held outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi. Hundreds of people affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal gathered near the mission, prompting the deployment of police and paramilitary forces and the erection of multiple layers of barricades.The demonstrators, numbering around 400, were stopped only about 500 metres from the high commission on a neighbouring road in the diplomatic zoneAccording to media reports, a section of protesters broke through some of the barricades, prompting police to block the approach road with a Delhi Transport Corporation bus and repeatedly caution the crowd against escalating the situation. Demonstrators shouted slogans including “Bharat Mata ki jai (hail Bharat Mata)”, “Yunus sarkar hosh mein aao (wake up, Yunus government)”, and “Hindu hatya band karo (stop the killing of Hindus),” and carried placards criticising the Bangladesh government while seeking justice for Dipu Chandra Das. The protestors were later taken into custody.In Kolkata, a large group of protesters waving saffron flags sought to proceed towards the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission. The march, titled ‘Hindu Hunkar Padayatra (Hindu roar foot rally)’, was organised under the banner of the ‘Bongiyo Hindu Jagaran’ and began from the Sealdah area. Police halted the march in the Beckbagan area and positioned a heavy security presence near the mission. The situation grew tense after some protesters tried to force their way past barricades, following which police moved in to push back the crowd and used a mild lathi charge to disperse them.BJP leader and leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari, who led the protest, later announced plans for a one-hour border blockade on December 24, followed by another demonstration on December 26.Protests were also reported from Jammu and Kashmir. In Jammu, the High Court Bar Association held a demonstration condemning the lynching and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the protection of Hindus in Bangladesh.The Shiv Sena Dogra Front organised a separate protest in the Rani Park area of Jammu the same day, where demonstrators condemned the killing and also raised concerns about what they described as the presence of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya settlers in the region. In Rajouri, several Hindutva organisations under the banners of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal staged a protest at Panja Chowk, during which an effigy of Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus was set on fire.The state of tiesTuesday’s summoning marked the second such move by Dhaka in ten days. On December 14, Bangladesh had summoned the Indian High Commissioner to convey serious concern over India allowing former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to make what Dhaka described as incendiary statements from Indian territory and for the return of any of Hadi’s killers. Senior police officers have since publicly clarified that they don’t have any proof of the suspects leaving Bangladesh.Three days later, India summoned the Bangladesh High Commissioner to convey its strong concerns over the security environment in Bangladesh, particularly following announcements by certain groups in Dhaka calling for a march to the Indian High Commission.Even as diplomatic tensions mounted, Bangladesh’s finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed attempted to downplay the severity of the situation on Tuesday, saying that Yunus was engaged in behind-the-scenes efforts to repair ties with New Delhi.Speaking to reporters after a cabinet committee meeting at the secretariat, Salehuddin said he remained hopeful that relations would stabilise.“The chief adviser is working to improve diplomatic relations with India and he himself has also been speaking to various stakeholders on the issue,” said the adviser, noting that Yunus “has friends who have deep relationships with India”.In what appeared to be a conciliatory gesture, the government approved imports of 50,000 tonnes of rice and a consignment of onions from India on Tuesday.Salehuddin justified the rice purchase on economic grounds, noting it would cost significantly less than importing from alternative sources like Vietnam.He acknowledged that inflammatory statements were complicating matters but insisted these did not reflect Bangladesh’s “national feeling”.Salehuddin characterised anti-India rhetoric as unhelpful and said it was creating unnecessary complications for the country.This article was updated with more information at 11:27 pm on December 23.