New Delhi

India on Tuesday summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to New Delhi, Riaz Hamidullah, and pressed for a thorough and transparent investigation into the killing of Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, against the backdrop of sharply deteriorating bilateral ties.

The move came just hours after India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, was called to Dhaka by the Bangladeshi foreign ministry to register a protest over what it described as “regrettable incidents” outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.

According to people familiar with the discussion at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Hamidullah was told that Dhaka should ensure a credible probe into Hadi’s death. New Delhi conveyed concern that unverified allegations linking India to the killing had fuelled strong anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh.

Following Hadi’s death last week, protests have been reported outside Indian diplomatic missions in Bangladesh. In one such incident, a group of demonstrators attempted to storm India’s Assistant High Commission in Chittagong, prompting New Delhi to suspend visa services at that mission.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, has witnessed protests outside its diplomatic establishments in India as well. The Bangladeshi foreign ministry said it conveyed its “grave concern” to the Indian envoy over incidents outside the Bangladesh High Commission and the High Commissioner’s residence in New Delhi on December 20, as well as vandalism at the Bangladesh visa centre in Siliguri on December 22.

Dhaka also expressed unease over violent demonstrations held outside Bangladeshi diplomatic premises in different parts of India.

Bangladesh has seen renewed unrest since Hadi’s killing. He was a prominent figure in the anti-government movement that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government. Amid the latest protests, a Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was reportedly killed in Mymensingh.

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Last week, India had also summoned Hamidullah to convey strong concern over reports of extremist groups planning protests around the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. At the time, the MEA said India “completely rejects the false narrative” being pushed by extremist elements regarding recent developments in Bangladesh, adding that the interim government had not conducted a full investigation or shared substantive evidence related to the incidents.