Guwahati/Agartala, Dec 16
The Bangladesh Assistant High Commissions (AHC) in Guwahati and Agartala celebrated the 53rd anniversary of ‘Vijay Diwas’ on Monday in a very low-key manner.
Sources said that the officials of the AHCs in Guwahati and Agartala only attended the closed-door celebration this year, with no guests invited to the program. In previous years, the AHCs in Guwahati and Agartala celebrated ‘Vijay Diwas’ with much fanfare, inviting important Indian dignitaries and intellectuals, while singers and performers from India and Bangladesh showcased various cultural functions on these occasions.
Renowned writer Debabrata Deb Roy stated that, in light of the changed political situations in Bangladesh after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League regime on August 5, the Bangladesh missions might have organized Monday's events in a very low-profile manner. “For the past many years, I myself and many other Indian intellectuals, poets, writers, and singers participated in the ‘Vijay Diwas’, Bangladesh National Day (on March 26), and other important celebrations, but this year, given the changed situation in the neighboring country, the Monday’s event was held in a subdued style,” Roy told IANS.
After the breach of security at the Bangladesh AHC office in Agartala on December 2, the mission suspended all visa and consular services for an indefinite period. The security breach reportedly occurred during a protest by an organization against the atrocities on the Hindu community in Bangladesh. In response to this incident, West Tripura District Superintendent of Police suspended three Sub-Inspectors—Dilu Jamatia, Debabrata Sinha, and Joynal Hossain—and Assistant Commandant (a DSP rank officer) Kanti Nath Ghosh was withdrawn from his posting due to their negligence of duty during the December 2 protests.
The Tripura government has also ordered an inquiry into the December 2 incident, with the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Southern Range set to conduct the probe. In light of the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh and the arrest of ISKCON preacher Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, various organizations have been holding a series of protests, demonstrations, and rallies across different states in the northeast region almost daily.