Agartala, Dec 23 (NationPress) Following the announcement from the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission (AHC) in Agartala regarding the indefinite halt of visa and consular services, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), which is allied with the ruling BJP in Tripura, has issued a warning that it will oppose the reopening of the diplomatic mission until the violence and atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh cease.

In a notification, S. M. Almas Hossain, the First Secretary and Head of Commission of the Bangladesh AHC in Agartala, stated that “due to unavoidable circumstances, all visa and consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala will remain closed from December 23 until further notice.”

Nonetheless, the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Guwahati, responsible for Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh, continues to operate as usual.

The TMP leader and former royal figure, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, conveyed through a video message that his party will prevent the reopening of the AHC in Agartala unless there is a halt to the violence against minorities in Bangladesh.

He also noted that various organizations have held protests outside the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh.

In a post on X, Debbarma took credit for the closure of the Agartala mission, asserting: “Our protest in front of the high commission and ultimatum has finally paid off. The Bangladesh High Commission has shut down its operation in Agartala. What should have been done by others has been done by the Tipra Motha Party and YTF.”

Numerous organizations and political parties in Tripura have condemned the reported lynching of a Hindu man, Dipu Das, a garment factory worker in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, accusing the interim government of failing to prevent violence against religious minorities.

The youth wing of the TMP recently conducted protest demonstrations near the Bangladesh AHC in Agartala, condemning alleged remarks from leaders of the neighboring country regarding India’s Northeastern region.

Youth Tipra Federation (YTF) President Suraj Debbarma, who led the protests on December 19, alleged that NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah, Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, and other leaders have made “baseless and anti-India” claims, inciting hostile actions against India.

He further asserted that demonstrations have occurred outside the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and other locations in Bangladesh, where “anti-India” slogans were voiced.

Suraj Debbarma accused Hasnat Abdullah of asserting that Bangladesh would seize India’s ‘Seven Sisters’ and the Siliguri Corridor.

The Siliguri Corridor, commonly known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, connects Northeast India with the rest of the nation through West Bengal.

The seven Northeastern states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura—are collectively referred to as the “seven sisters”.

Suraj Debbarma emphasized that some Bangladeshi leaders have overlooked India’s contributions and sacrifices during the 1971 Liberation War that led to Bangladesh's independence.

He cautioned that if such statements persist, TMP supporters might raise historical claims, including those related to areas like Cox’s Bazar, spotlighting the presence of minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Meanwhile, another senior TMP official mentioned that the former ‘Chakla Roshnabad’ was a zamindari of the prior princely state of Tripura, which once encompassed regions now part of the Noakhali and Sylhet districts of Bangladesh.

A senior Tripura police representative noted that security around the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala has been significantly bolstered since August of the previous year.

“A substantial contingent of the CRPF and Tripura State Rifles has been deployed to safeguard the officials and the diplomatic mission,” the official added.