Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs to hold meeting today

NEW DELHI: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs will hold a meeting on Friday. During the meeting, the committee will record evidence of experts/non-official witnesses in connection with the examination of the subject ‘Future of India-Bangladesh Relationship’.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has been the chairperson of the Committee of the External Affairs since September 2024.

India has strongly condemned the demolition of a Durga temple in Dhaka, criticising the role of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in allowing the destruction and projecting it as a case of illegal land use.

At a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, the extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka.

The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, instead of providing security to the temple, projected the episode as a case of illegal land use and allowed the destruction of the temple, Jaiswal said. This, the MEA spokesperson said has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted.

It is a matter of grave concern that such incidents continue to recur in Bangladesh. It is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus, their properties, and their religious institutions, the MEA spokesperson stated.

Bangladesh Railway authorities on Thursday demolished a makeshift Durga Temple constructed on its land in Dhaka’s Khilkhet, Bangladesh-based newspaper New Age reported. The temple was demolished three days after a mob demanded the removal of the temple. The Bangladesh Railway authorities said that they demolished Khilkhet Sarbojanin Shri Shri Durga Mandir as it was constructed illegally on railway land.

The decision of the authorities has been condemned by several minority organisations, alleging that the authorities demolished the temple without providing prior notice to the community people.

Earlier in May, India imposed restrictions on the entry of Bangladeshi ready-made garments (RMG) and other products through its northeastern land ports — Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram — and Fulbari and Changrabandha in West Bengal, following controversial remarks by Bangladesh’s interim chief advisor Muhammad Yunus.

During a speech in China, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Yunus had described India’s northeastern states as a “landlocked region with no access to the ocean.” This comment has sparked diplomatic friction, with Indian officials viewing it as undermining the region’s connectivity and status.

The new restrictions has forced Bangladesh to reroute exports —including Ready-Made garments (RMG), plastics, melamine, furniture, juices, carbonated drinks, bakery items, confectionery, and processed foods — through Kolkata port in West Bengal or Nhava Sheva port in Maharashtra, sharply increasing logistics costs. (ANI)