Shashi Tharoor Highlights India’s Peace Amid Bangladesh Protests: “No Violence, No Lynching”

Shashi Tharoor Highlights Peaceful Protests in India Amid Bangladesh Unrest.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday (December 24) drew a sharp contrast between protests in India and escalating unrest in Bangladesh, asserting that democratic dissent in India has remained peaceful and within constitutional limits.

Speaking in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said that reactions in India to developments in Bangladesh were expected given the volatility and attacks on minorities there. However, he emphasised that protests in India have not descended into violence. “In our democracy, people have a right to protest. There has been no violence, no lynching, and authorities are fully capable of intervening if the line is crossed,” he said.

Tharoor underlined that maintaining law and order is a non-negotiable responsibility of the state and that Indian law enforcement agencies would act decisively if required. “Certainly any attempted violence will and should be clamped down upon by our police,” he added.

Criticism of Bangladesh Authorities

Contrasting India’s situation with Bangladesh, Tharoor said that expressions of regret or condemnation are insufficient in the face of mob violence and lawlessness. Referring to the lynching of a Hindu factory worker accused of blasphemy, he described the incident as “truly an outrage”, noting that the victim had been in police custody at the time.

“He should not have been handed over to the mob and lynched in this horrible way,” he said, warning that continued street violence, attacks near diplomatic missions, and intimidation could severely undermine the environment needed for free and fair elections in the coming months.

“How can you have an election in less than two months in an atmosphere of lawlessness and intimidation, where voters may not even feel safe?” he asked. Tharoor called on the Bangladeshi government to take concrete measures to restore calm, adding: “If the police can’t do it, send the army, but stop this nonsense.”

Diplomatic Tensions and India-Bangladesh Relations

Addressing protests outside Bangladeshi missions in India, Tharoor dismissed concerns of diplomatic escalation, calling such exchanges routine. He noted that India had conveyed its concerns regarding attacks near its High Commission and Assistant High Commissions, while Bangladesh responded by summoning India’s High Commissioner.

Tharoor also rejected allegations linking India to political violence in Bangladesh, calling such claims “preposterous” and warning that such rhetoric only fuels hostility against minorities.

On former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Tharoor said India had acted in a humanitarian manner by allowing her to remain in the country while legal and treaty obligations were examined. “When we are being hospitable to a good friend, I think we should allow her to remain safely until the government has studied all those things in detail,” he said.