The Indian envoy in Bangladesh today visited the Ramakrishna Mission here, days after suspected Islamists claiming to be followers of the so called ISIS threatened to kill the spiritual mission’s principal.
Bangladesh has witnessed anti minority violence in recent times, including attacks on minority Hindus and secular writers and bloggers.
India’s High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Ramkrishna Mission compound, four days after unidentified militants claiming to be followers of the Islamic State (ISIS) issued a death threat to its principal asking him to abstain from preaching his religion in “Islamic Bangladesh”.
“Being the close door neighbour, we just can offer our fullest support for whatever steps are taken here (in Bangladesh to combat militancy),” Shringla told local Bangladeshi media after visiting the mission.
Shringla also expressed satisfaction over the stepped up security arrangements for the Hindu spiritual mission in Dhaka.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying respect at RK Mission temple during his visit to Bangladesh.
India had taken up with Bangladeshi authorities the death threat to the priest of the Ramakrishna Mission. A high commission official had also visited the mission last week after the threat was issued.
A militant on June 15 had sent a letter addressed to Ramakrishna Mission principal on an ISIS letterhead carrying a fake address in Gazipur on the outskirts of the capital and had identified himself only as A B Siddique.
“Bangladesh is an Islamic state. You can’t preach your religion here. If you continue preaching, you’ll be hacked to death with machetes between the 20th and 30th,” the letter was quoted as saying without mentioning a month.
A priest of the mission earlier had said that an unidentified youth two weeks ago had visited the principal’s office without citing any reason.
