DHAKA, March 9: Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Saturday said India could have done more to prevent the massive death toll in the country’s worst communal violence in more than a decade, saying last week’s rioting was “condemnable and sad”.

“Although it is an internal matter of India, but if they had taken timely steps then the loss of lives could have been much lesser,” she told reporters.

Zia said her government had taken steps to stop the rioting spilling over into the predominantly Muslim country.

“Despite the way Muslims were killed in India’s riot, even by entering their homes, nothing happened in Bangladesh as we believe in communal harmony,” said. The Bangladesh government has deployed police across the country to defend Hindus and their property. Hindus constitute nearly 11 percent of Bangladesh’s 120 million population.

Religious groups have staged protests, but there has been no violence.—AFP