Foreign Secy arrives as tension simmers

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will land in Bangladesh on Monday, marking the first high-level engagement since the interim Bangladeshi government assumed power on August 8.

Misri is expected to address India's concerns about the recent surge in violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.

Muhammad Yunus's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam hoped on Sunday that the visit would help improve Bangladesh-India relations. "We aim to take our bilateral ties to a better place," he said during a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy.

CASE LODGED: Even as the structured talks were awaited, a case was lodged on Sunday stemming from a clash between police and followers of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das on the court premises in Chittagong. The Dhaka Tribune newspaper said the case cites the Hindu leader, already in custody on a charge of sedition, as the prime accused, along with 164 identified individuals and 400 to 500 unidentified people.