PM Modi, Bangladesh Chief Adviser Yunus discuss minority safety, border concerns

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 4, met Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in Bangkok. The meeting marked the first since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. 

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Summit meeting of the leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Technical Cooperation (BIMSTEC) grouping.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were also present during the meeting.

Muhammad Yunus underlined India's concerns over the safety of minorities, including Hindus, and conveyed the expectation that the Bangladeshi government would ensure their security, including by thoroughly investigating cases of atrocities against them.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Summit meeting of the leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Technical Cooperation (BIMSTEC) grouping. It was their first meeting since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year.

Briefing reporters on Modi's meeting with Yunus, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Modi underlined India's concerns related to the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh including Hindus.

PM Modi expressed his expectation that the government of Bangladesh would ensure their security, including by thoroughly investigating all cases of atrocities against the minorities, Misri said at the media briefing.

During the meeting, PM Modi also urged that any rhetoric that vitiates the environment is best avoided, the foreign secretary said.

Prime Minister Modi reiterated India's support for a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh.

"He underlined that India believed in a people-centric approach to the relationship and highlighted the cooperation between the two countries over a long period of time that has delivered tangible benefits to the people of both countries. In this spirit, he underlined to Professor Yunus India's desire to forge a positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on a spirit of pragmatism," Misri said on the meeting.

During the meeting, the PM also talked about the border and the strict enforcement of the law and curbing illegal border crossings, especially at night for maintaining border security and stability.

Asked if Yunus raised the issue of the extradition of Hasina, Misri did not give a direct reply. He said it is not proper to talk about this issue at the moment and the ministry in the past has already said that it has received a request from Bangladesh.