Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan announced that the state will soon initiate the process of verifying the identities of Bangladeshi nationals entering Odisha, particularly through West Bengal, amid ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh.
“A significant number of people are entering our nation and Odisha via West Bengal. The process to verify the identities of Bangladeshi nationals coming to Odisha will begin very soon. We have already alerted our coastal security,” Harichandan informed reporters.
He further mentioned that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has reviewed the situation, and all marine police stations have been sensitized in response to the political upheaval in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, in Canada, thousands of protesters gathered across downtown Toronto on Sunday to stand in solidarity against the violence targeting Hindus in Bangladesh. The demonstrators urged the Canadian government to pressure the Bangladeshi government to protect the Hindu minority.
Bangladesh is currently experiencing significant political instability following the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5 amid escalating protests. The protests, initially led by students demanding an end to the quota system for government jobs, have evolved into broader anti-government demonstrations.
In the wake of Hasina’s resignation, Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government on August 8. Seventeen members of the interim government, including Yunus, took their oaths in Dhaka on Thursday. Yunus, 84, was appointed as the chief advisor, a role equivalent to that of Prime Minister. Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus for his new position.