17 NTPC advisers have returned to India from a Bangladesh power plant citing personal security concerns. Their departure follows a Hindu youth's death and comes amid rising communal violence ahead of the country's upcoming national elections.
17 National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) advisers have returned to India from Bangladesh after obtaining approvals over security concerns, a senior official of Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL) said on Monday.
BIFPCL Clarifies Departure
"It is clarified that following the transfer of 17 expatriates during December 2025-January 2026, undertaken to comply with the BIDA-mandated expatriate ratio, a total of 12 NTPC executives were positioned at the plant purely in advisory capacities. These executives were not assigned any operational responsibilities. All control room and operational activities have been, and continue to be, managed exclusively by the BIFPCL local cadre," R Sarangpani, Managing Director of BIFPCL, said in a statement.
"In view of prevailing personal security concerns in Bangladesh, the concerned NTPC advisory personnel returned to India after duly informing NTPC management and obtaining all necessary approvals. It is categorically incorrect to suggest that any official vacated the premises without intimation to the authorities. All relevant stakeholders and competent authorities were kept fully informed prior to their departure," he added.
"The said personnel continue to remain on duty and are discharging their advisory and support functions through virtual modes, including WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, and video conferencing. They remain available round the clock and are prepared to travel to the plant immediately in the event of any operational exigency or plant eventuality," the statement said.
"It is further emphasized that both units are operating near full load, in line with Bangladesh grid demand, and plant performance remains stable and unaffected. Any attempt to project the situation otherwise is factually incorrect, misleading, and unwarranted, and serves only to create avoidable concern," the statement said.
Hindu Youth's Death Amid Security Fears
Their movement follows a tragic incident of a 25-year-old Hindu youth, Chanchal Bhowmik, burning to death in Narsingdi, Bangladesh, on Friday night. He was sleeping in a garage when the fire broke out, and CCTV footage suggests foul play.
The Narsingdi police superintendent (SP), Abdullah Al Faruque, informed ANI over the phone that while the fire started inside the shop, CCTV footage has revealed a person of interest moving around the area. "We have collected footage from the CCTV cameras and observed that there is a scene showing a person moving around. We are investigating whether the fire was caused by some external factor or by an electrical fault", SP said.
The police superintendent also mentioned that the fire started inside the shop, and that the fire service broke the shutter to rescue him, although his body was charred to death. "We are still investigating everything, and so far, no one has been arrested", he added. Authorities are currently determining if the blaze was an electrical accident or an "external factor." No arrests have been made as of Sunday.
Political Turmoil and Rising Tensions
Bangladesh continues to grapple with a volatile security landscape as it approaches the national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026. Amidst a ban on the Awami League and rising communal tensions, the safety of religious minorities has become a focal point of international concern.
Reports from human rights organisations and government agencies indicate a sharp rise in targeted violence against minorities since the interim government, led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, took power in August 2024.
Sheikh Hasina Slams Interim Government
The internal instability has triggered sharp reactions from the exiled leadership. in her first address to a gathering in India since she came to the country in the wake of violent protests in August 2024, former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina blasted the Interim Government's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that the country "has plunged into an age of terror" and "there is a treacherous plot to barter away the territory and resources of Bangladesh to foreign interests". She called on people of the country to "overthrow the Yunus regime".
Bangladesh is slated to go for national elections on February 12, and the activities of Sheikh Hasina's party, Awami League have been banned. Its registration has been suspended. "Bangladesh stands today at the edge of an abyss, a nation battered and bleeding, navigating one of the most perilous chapters in its history. The homeland won through the supreme Liberation War under the leadership of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is now ravaged by the monstrous onslaught of extremist communal forces and foreign perpetrators. Our once serene and fertile land has been reduced to a wounded, blood-soaked landscape. In truth, the entire country has become a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death," she said in a pre-recorded audio message played out at an event in the national capital.
International Protests Erupt
In January, a large crowd gathered at Parliament Square in London on Wednesday in a demonstration calling for international attention against the continued torture, persecution and killing of minorities in Bangladesh, a statement by the Bangladesh Hindu Association and Bengali Hindu Adarsh Sangha said. Organised by the Bangladesh Hindu Association (BHA) and supported by INSIGHT UK and the Bengali Hindu Adarsh Sangha (BHAS), this British Hindu diaspora event drew an audience of over 500 participants, including students, professionals, parents with children, elderly activists, and interfaith leaders.
Alarming Rise in Communal Violence
As the date of the 13th National Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh draws nearer, communal violence is increasing at an alarming rate. In December alone, at least 51 incidents of violence have been reported till now. These included 10 murders, 10 cases of theft and robbery, 23 incidents involving the occupation of homes, business establishments, temples and land, looting and arson, four cases of arrest and torture on false allegations of religious defamation and being "agents of RAW", one attempted rape, and three incidents of physical assault, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said in a statement.
India's Ministry of External Affairs had expressed serious concern over the killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh, linking the issue to the wider question of minority safety and law and order in the country. The MEA noted that independent assessments have documented over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities during the tenure of Bangladesh's interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, including cases of killings, arson and land grabbing. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)