Tuesday, February 1 2005 17:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Concerned over the violence in Bangladesh and with four days to go before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh travels to Dhaka for the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit, India today (Feb 1, 2005) decided to despatch a high-level security team there to make a fresh assessment of the situation on the ground.

Asked about the fate of the SAARC Summit scheduled for February 6 and 7, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said "with regard to developments relating to SAARC Summit and the situation in Dhaka, what I can tell you is that a high-level security team is being despatched from India today to make a fresh assessment of the situation on the ground".

New Delhi has described as "very distressing" and "very worrying" the killing of former Bangladesh Finance Minister Shah Abu Mohammad Shamsul Kibria, an MP, at a political rally in that country.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the External Affairs Minister have written to Asma Kibria, wife of Shamsul Kibria, conveying their deep condolences on the tragic death.

"All right thinking people must join in condemning such violent acts of terrorism, which constitute a direct attack on the fabric of democracy that the people of Bangladesh are striving to create for themselves. The perpetrators must be identified and due justice seen to be meted out," the MEA had stated in an earlier statement.

Stray incidents of violence had left 30 people injured at the end of a three-day nationwide strike yesterday called by Bangladesh's main Opposition to protest a deadly grenade attack on its rally.

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, who heads the main Opposition Awami League, said protest demonstrations would continue with dawn to dusk nationwide strikes on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

The 13th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit is scheduled to be held in Dhaka for two days from February 6.

When pointed out that one of the strike days would coincide with the first day of the SAARC summit, Hasina said, "This Government could not provide security to Kibria and can they provide security to the guests coming for the summit".