Jaishankar to brief parliament on Bangladesh crisis Friday
Diplomatic Correspondent
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Foreign Minister S Jaishankar Thursday to discuss attacks on religious minorities, including Hindus, in neighbouring Bangladesh. This includes the arrest this week of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari and the vandalism of a temple in Chattogram district.
Following his meeting with the PM, Mr Jaishankar is expected to address both Houses Parliament on Friday, assuming proceedings are not disrupted by the opposition.
His remarks will come as unrest continues in Bangladesh following the student-led rebellion in August of this year, which forced then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and flee to India.
The Bangladeshi Army took control, briefly, of the country's government before an interim administration, headed by Nobel laureate Dr Yunus, took charge in August.
The Yunus government has reaffirmed "in the strongest terms" that every Bangladeshi, regardless of their religious identity, has the "right to establish, maintain or perform respective religious rituals and practices or express views without hindrance."
Chinmoy Brahmachari was arrested after protests by the Hindu community in Rangpur, about 300km north of national capital Dhaka. The arrest follows a sedition case filed against him this month.
