GUWAHATI, India - Police in India's northeastern state of Tripura arrested seven members of a Hindu group and charged them with breaking into the Bangladesh consulate and vandalizing property, a police officer said on Tuesday.
The move came hours after Bangladesh called for immediate action against protesters who broke into the consulate, saying they tore down its main gate, damaged property and desecrated the national flag.
Those arrested were part of demonstrations organized by the Hindu Sangharsha Samiti, a group that says it protects Hindu interests, after Bangladesh arrested a Hindu religious leader, Chinmoy Krishna Das, last week.
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"Around 50 of them broke into the property's main gate, and brought down the Bangladeshi flag post," said district police officer Kiran Kumar K in west Tripura.
Among the 4,000 protesters were more people involved in the break-in and police were investigating, he said, adding that disciplinary action had been taken against four police officers in charge of consulate security.
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In a statement on Monday, India's foreign ministry called the incident deeply regrettable, adding that diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances.