At least one person was killed in Bangladesh in clashes between security forces and Hindus protesting against the arrest of a religious leader, police said, even as neighbouring India urged that the safety of Hindus and minorities be ensured.

Lawyers in southeastern Bangladesh are boycotting courts to protest the killing of a colleague in a daylong violence over the arrest of a prominent minority Hindu leader.

The arrest of a Hindu monk in Bangladesh has triggered a fresh war of words with neighbour India over the condition of minorities in the country. Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson of a Bangladesh-based Hindu organisation, was arrested on sedition charges this week, spurring clashes that led to one death.