"Hope solution be found very quickly, peace return": Shashi Tharoor on Bangladesh violence
Aug 05, 2024
New Delhi [India], August 5 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed hope that a solution would be found "very quickly" as a fresh wave of violence gripped Bangladesh, leaving at least 93 people dead.
According to recent reports, thousands have sustained bullet injuries in the clashes.
"Well certainly, I think the external affairs ministry must be monitoring the situation very carefully. Everything that I'm hearing is from the media and what I'm hearing is very, very worrying. There are some serious, serious law and order concerns there and while we respect very much the prerogatives of the government," Shashi Tharoor said while speaking to ANI on Monday.
The Congress MP said that it is an "internal affair" and added that every one of us in India would want to see peace restored as quickly as possible.
"Nonetheless, we hope and pray that a solution will be found very quickly and that peace and calm will return. This is a neighboring country. These are people who are our cousins, as it were, if not our brothers and sisters," he added.
As per reports, the anti-government protesters clashed with the police in at least 20 districts in Bangladesh on the first day of the student-led non-cooperation campaign on Sunday, which intends to maintain pressure on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign. The situation in Bangladesh became more tense after members of the ruling Awami League poured into the streets to quell anti-government demonstrations, turning things violent.
Amid violent protests, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly cautioned its citizens currently living in Bangladesh to be extremely vigilant and limit their movements.
"In view of ongoing developments, Indian nationals are strongly advised against travelling to Bangladesh till further notice," MEA said in an official statement on Sunday.
"All Indian nationals presently in Bangladesh are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka through their emergency phone numbers 8801958383679, 8801958383680, 8801937400591," the Ministry added.
The protests in Bangladesh erupted due to demands for reforming the quota system that reserves civil service jobs for specific groups, including descendants of 1971 war veterans.
The unrest intensified after students opposed a new policy allocating government jobs to descendants of freedom fighters, leading to violence, including attacks on state television headquarters and police booths in Dhaka.
