US in touch with India on Bangladesh issue: State Department

The United States said on Wednesday that it is in touch with India and other countries in the region regarding the situation in Bangladesh and is seeking an end to the violence there.

“On the topic of Bangladesh, we have been in touch with our Indian partners as well as other countries in the region to discuss recent events. I’m not going to get into private diplomatic discussions, but we continue to push for an end to violence in Bangladesh as well as continue to push for accountability and the respect for the rule of law,” US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at his daily news conference in Washington.

He was responding to a question regarding the communication between India and the US on the situation in Bangladesh following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government.

Two Indian-American Congressmen, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Shri Thanedar, have written separate letters to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, requesting his assistance in safeguarding the lives of Hindus in Bangladesh. Could you comment on this? Additionally, how does the U.S. government view the interim government's efforts to restore security and protect minority communities in Bangladesh?

To another question about two Indian-American Congressmen, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Shri Thanedar, writing separate letters to Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking his help in protecting the lives of Hindus in Bangladesh, Patel said “So what I can say is that we engage with partners in Congress regularly. I’m not going to get into specific letters or engagements, but let me just note that the interim government, we welcome Dr. Yunus’s call for calm and an end to the recent violence – of the new – and as well as we welcome the new government’s focus on restoring security and the protection of members of minority communities as well.”