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DHAKA: The Muslim nationalist party Jatiya Biplabi Parishad has announced plans to besiege the Indian embassy in Dhaka on October 29, demanding the expulsion of Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi over alleged attempts to exert dominance in Bangladesh in violation of diplomatic norms.
The announcement was made by the party’s convener, Khomenei Ihsan, while presiding over a protest rally in front of the National Press Club on Thursday.
He said the party had besieged the Foreign Ministry 15 days earlier, urging the government to stop what it described as Trivedi’s activities and end Indian dominance in Bangladesh. However, the demands had not been met, he claimed.
Instead, he alleged, fascist forces had been encouraged to re-emerge at home and abroad with Indian backing. Under the circumstances, he said, expelling Trivedi was necessary to send a message to India.
He expressed hope that leaders and activists of all patriotic political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, would join the planned embassy siege.
Referring to the broader political situation, Khomenei Ihsan said the UN human rights office had published a report on the July killings following the July 2024 uprising and urged the interim government to prosecute those responsible and report the progress to the UN body.
He alleged that the government had wasted time focusing on reform issues instead of pursuing justice against those directly involved in the killings and the Awami League as a political organisation.
He further alleged that this had emboldened Awami League supporters, citing an incident in New York in which former chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus was allegedly harassed while in a wheelchair. He also referred to the arrest and remand of four July uprising activists over alleged desecration of an image of Rabindranath Tagore, whom he described as a cultural symbol of fascism.
He said fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others sentenced to death were issuing threats from India. He called for the UN Security Council to designate the Awami League as a fascist terrorist organisation and India as a state supporting it.
Khomenei Ihsan said the alleged harassment of Yunus in New York had crossed all red lines for India and the Awami League, leaving no scope for reconciliation between them and the people and government of Bangladesh. He said resistance was now the only option.
Following the New York incident, he urged the government, opposition parties, civil society and the public to take a clear position against what he described as Indian dominance and fascism.
He also called on the government to declare the Awami League a fascist terrorist organisation and seek its designation through the UN Security Council and the United States. He demanded accountability from countries in the United States and Europe over alleged terrorist activities carried out by Awami League members using their territories.
The rally was organised to protest the alleged harassment of Yunus in New York and to demand action against what the organisers described as Awami League fascist terrorism, an end to the Indian high commissioner’s alleged activities, and the cancellation of all agreements with India that they consider subservient.
Speakers included the party’s Senior Joint Convener Mohammad Shamsuddin, Assistant Member Secretaries Galib Ihsan and Abdus Salam, Bangladesh Muslim League leader Khairul Islam, and Revolutionary Students Council central convener Abdul Wahed.
Among others, Mohammad Abdul Jabbar, chairman of the Nawab Salimullah Academy; central convening committee members of Jatiya Biplabi Parishad Mohammad Saidul Islam and Sakib Samin; and Revolutionary Students Council Assistant Member Secretary Mohammad Ariful Islam were also present at the meeting