Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party hold protest march as tensions continue with India

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of members of youth and student bodies belonging to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday held a road march procession from Bangladesh’s capital toward its eastern border with India to protest against an attack on a diplomatic mission earlier this month and alleged desecration of Bangladeshi flags in India.

They drove in cars to reach a border point at Akhaura in Brahmanbaria district to register their protest. Before starting for the border area, they rallied briefly in Dhaka where leaders criticized what they called “Indian aggression” against Bangladesh.

The party headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been protesting against the attack by a mob of Hindus in the northeastern Indian state of Agartala on Dec. 2.

On the way to the border area, the entourage stopped at places where waiting supporters of Zia welcomed them and rallied briefly on Wednesday. Another rally will be held when the team reaches the border point.

Wednesday’s protest came two days after the foreign secretaries of Bangladesh and India held bilateral meetings in Bangladesh’s capital to defuse escalating tensions between the two neighbors.

It was the first high-profile diplomatic visit by an Indian official since the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in exile in India, in August.

Bangladesh, which is predominantly Muslim, has accused a group of Hindus in India of attacking the Assistant High Commissioner’s office at Agartala and desecrating Bangladeshi flags in Kolkata in West Bengal state.

India said it regretted the attacks and pledged to take action against those responsible. Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Indian High Commissioner and formally registered its protest.

Tensions between the two neighbors also spiked over the recent arrest of a Hindu leader in Bangladesh, currently run by the interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus. India stopped issuing visas to Bangladeshis except for emergency medical purposes after Hasina’s ouster, while many Indian nationals taking part in infrastructure projects left Bangladesh because of security threats.

Protests were also held in parts of Hindu-majority India to denounce attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

Protests and counter-protests have strained the relations between the two countries.

In Bangladesh, reports of the desecration of the Indian flag, with some burning it and others laying it on the floor for people to step on, strained relations further.