Bangladesh is witnessing widespread unrest following the death of Inquilab Manch leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who succumbed to gunshot injuries on Thursday. He was shot last week during an assassination attempt and was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Hadi was later shifted to Evercare Hospital for intensive care and on December 15, was flown to Singapore by air ambulance for advanced medical treatment, where he later died.
Protests intensify in Dhaka
Following his death, protests intensified across Dhaka, with a fresh wave of demonstrations erupting on Friday as activists gathered at Shahbagh square demanding justice for Hadi. During the protests, anti-India slogans were also raised and videos circulating on social media showed groups pelting stones near the diplomatic mission in the city. The protestors have called for the interim government to make way for a “revolutionary government.” To maintain law and order in Dhaka, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed at multiple strategic locations.
Yunus trying to provoke India? Tensions escalate from land to sea
While anti-India protests continue at the grassroots level in Bangladesh, a strange pattern has been noticed at sea. Over the past two months, India has marked an increasing number of Bangladeshi fishing boats entering its maritime boundaries in the Bay of Bengal. The situation escalated on December 15 when a Bangladeshi naval patrol vessel collided with an Indian fishing boat carrying 16 fishermen, causing it to capsize. This incident has further strained relations between the two countries amid ongoing anti-India protests in Bangladesh.
The matter is particularly significant because it is happening at a time when elections are scheduled in Bangladesh next February, and anti-India rhetoric is also rising. It is evident that since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, Bangladesh, under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus, has been trying to expand its influence in the Bay of Bengal, a region bordering India. In fact, Yunus had previously claimed that Bangladesh is the guardian of the seas for the entire region, a statement that has raised concerns in India.
The December 15 incident has raised concerns about the safety of Indian fishermen working near the international maritime border. Reports indicate that the Bangladeshi ship’s lights were off, making it difficult for the Indian trawler to spot it at night. Following the collision, the trawler named FB Paramita capsized, causing all the fishermen to fall into the sea. The Indian Coast Guard rescued 11 fishermen at around 6 am. Five out of 16 fishermen are still missing. According to a TOI report, one fisherman was killed with a spear-like weapon.
Following a complaint from the Sundarban Marine Fishermen’s Workers Union, the police have launched probe. However, the Indian Coast Guard has not yet confirmed whether the fishing boat crossed the maritime boundary or whether a Bangladeshi naval vessel entered Indian waters. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has dismissed these reports as misleading, claiming that its patrol vessel was 12 miles away from the incident site.
