Amit Shah's remarks spark strong protest from Bangladesh. What did he say?

Bangladesh has issued a formal protest following recent remarks reportedly made by the Union Home Minister in Jharkhand

Bangladesh on Monday lodged a "strong protest" against what it called "highly deplorable remarks" made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent visit to poll-bound Jharkhand, reported The Hindu.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh delivered a protest note to the High Commission of India in Dhaka, expressing that Shah's comments had caused a "deep sense of hurt" in Bangladesh.

What did Amit Shah say?

During his speech in Sahibganj, Jharkhand, on September 20, Shah, addressing the inter-community tensions in the region, said, "In Pakur district, slogans are being raised asking Hindus and Adivasis to leave Jharkhand. Tell me, does this land belong to Adivasis or Rohingya, Bangladeshi infiltrators?"

How did Bangladesh react to Amit Shah's remarks?

Describing the remarks reportedly made by Shah about Bangladeshi nationals during his recent visit to Jharkhand as "highly deplorable", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh's statement issued on Monday said that it had "lodged a strong protest".

According to the report, a formal protest note was handed over to the Deputy High Commissioner of India, Pawan Badhe.

"The Ministry conveyed its serious reservation, deep sense of hurt, and extreme displeasure, and called upon the Government of India to advise political leaders to refrain from making such objectionable and unacceptable remarks," Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.

The protest from Dhaka followed Shah's comments regarding the issue of cross-border migration into India from neighbouring countries.

How has India responded to the crisis in Bangladesh?

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka has been actively engaging with key figures in Bangladesh's interim government throughout the last three weeks of September, according to the report.

On Sunday, Badhe reportedly accompanied the High Commissioner of India, Pranay Verma, to a meeting with the General Secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, in what the report described as a rare encounter.

The former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled to India on August 5 after facing an unprecedented student-led protest against her government. The protests were initially triggered by controversy surrounding a quota system for government jobs.

Hasina's administration was replaced by an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was appointed as the chief adviser.