Several hundred protesters from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged a demonstration near the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Mumbai, the capital of the western coastal state of Maharashtra, India, on Monday afternoon.
The protesters, carrying banners and placards, gathered within 100 to 150 yards of the Bangladeshi mission. They raised slogans protesting the alleged persecution of minorities in Bangladesh and actions taken against ISKCON members.
Meanwhile, a diplomatic source in Dhaka stated that around 300 protesters had initially assembled at Azad Maidan in Mumbai earlier that day. They later moved closer to the Bangladesh mission, where they held a demonstration and a street meeting. The protest, organized by the Vishva Hindu Parishad, was attended by prominent figures, including former Maharashtra state minister and industrialist Lodha Mangal Prabhat.
It is customary for the host country to inform foreign missions about any gatherings near their premises. However, the Bangladesh mission in Mumbai first learned about the protest from local journalists. Local police blocked the protesters from reaching the mission directly.