Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is scheduled to visit Dhaka to engage in discussions with Bangladeshi officials, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the development on Tuesday (3 December).
According to a report by the Hindustan Times, Vikram Misri is likely to visit Dhaka on 10 December.
This would mark the first visit by a high-ranking Indian official since the interim government, led by Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus, assumed power in August.
The report also highlighted the unprecedented tensions currently characterising Bangladesh-India relations.
Protests have erupted in several Indian border states, fuelled by allegations of persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das on charges of sedition.
Tensions between Bangladesh and India have intensified since the political upheaval in Bangladesh on 5 August.
The recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson for the United Sanatani Awakening Alliance, has further strained bilateral relations.
During the Indian foreign secretary's visit, talks are expected to cover a range of bilateral issues, including border tensions, trade, and the supply of essential commodities.
In a related development, Bangladesh summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma on Tuesday to lodge a strong protest against the recent attack on the Bangladeshi Assistant High Commission in Agartala, the capital of India’s northeastern state of Tripura.
The attack by extremist Hindutva groups included vandalism and the desecration of the Bangladeshi national flag, prompting a sharp rebuke from the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sources privy to the matter revealed that the decision for Vikram Misri’s visit was finalised during a meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Adviser Towhid Hossain on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 23 September.
This visit is expected to be pivotal in addressing the myriad of bilateral issues that have contributed to the current diplomatic impasse.
