Bangladesh ministers cancel visit to India over controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill

• Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also considering cancelling his upcoming trip to India.
• Protests in Assam, India have intensified as the people object to Citizenship Amendment Law.

Bangladesh's Foreign Minister (FM) AK Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan both cancelled their visit to India scheduled this week after the Indian government passed the controversial Citizenship Amendment Law on Wednesday.

The Bangladesh FM was scheduled to visit India on Thursday, however, he canceled his three-day visit hours before his arrival, Indian media reported. The home minister, who was scheduled to arrive on Friday, also called off a trip to Meghalaya.

Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said he would not like to comment on the issue beyond saying that New Delhi’s relationship with Dhaka was good.

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also considering cancelling his trip to India scheduled to begin on Sunday, Reuters reported. The Indian city of Guwahati, the planned venue for a summit between the japanese PM and Indian PM Narendra Modi, has been engulfed in violent protests over the controversial citizenship law.

Indian government introduced on Monday a controversial bill 'Citizenship Amendment Law' in the parliament that would give citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This mean the law will create a legal pathway to grant Indian nationality on the basis of religion.