Diplomats from Kolkata, Tripura recalled to Dhaka

The heads of Bangladesh's diplomatic missions in Agartala and Kolkata are being returned to Dhaka following the attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala and protests outside the Consulate General in Kolkata.

The mission head from Kolkata reportedly returned to Bangladesh on Thursday (November 5), while the Assistant High Commissioner from Tripura is also expected to arrive today.

Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided the information.

According to sources, the Acting Consul General of Bangladesh in Kolkata, Sikder Md Ashrafur Rahman, and the Assistant High Commissioner of Tripura, Arifur Rahman, were urgently instructed to return to Dhaka on Tuesday. Sikder Md Ashrafur Rahman returned from Kolkata today and met with foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain in the afternoon to discuss the situation that unfolded in Kolkata.

A source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed that Arifur Rahman, the Assistant High Commissioner of Tripura, is currently en route to Dhaka.

On Monday, supporters of various Hindu nationalist groups, including Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, launched an attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, protesting the alleged persecution of minorities in Bangladesh. They desecrated the national flag of Bangladesh and caused damage to the mission’s premises. In response to the attack, Bangladesh suspended all activities at the mission due to security concerns, with operations remaining on hold until further notice.