The Indian government summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner on Wednesday, lodging a formal diplomatic protest over what it called a deteriorating security situation and direct threats to its mission in Dhaka. This move, seen by analysts as heavy-handed, comes amid rising anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh and protests demanding the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been granted refuge in New Delhi. The diplomatic friction underscores a significant crisis in bilateral relations, largely stemming from India's longstanding policy of unequivocal support for Sheikh Hasina, which has fueled deep-seated resentment among many Bangladeshis.
The immediate trigger for India's summons was a protest march by a group called "July Oyikko" (July Unity) toward the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. The protesters' core demand was the repatriation of Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh. The situation was perceived as so volatile that Indian authorities made the exceptional decision to temporarily close the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Dhaka's Jamuna Future Park, citing the "prevailing security situation". India's Ministry of External Affairs specifically warned of "activities of some extremist elements who have announced plans to create a security situation around the Indian Mission".
This diplomatic demarche from New Delhi was a direct response to actions taken by the Bangladeshi interim government just two days prior. Bangladesh had summoned the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to protest "incendiary statements" made by Sheikh Hasina from Indian soil. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, warned that such remarks could undermine the country's upcoming parliamentary election scheduled for February 12, 2026. The Bangladeshi government has repeatedly asked for Hasina's extradition since she fled to India in August 2024 amid mass protests, and a Bangladeshi court recently sentenced her to death in absentia.
The current tensions are fueled by a dramatic shift in Bangladesh's political landscape. The interim government that took over after Hasina's ouster has lifted bans on Islamist parties like the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) and incorporated figures with Islamist leanings into the administration. Analysts suggest this has created space for more radical rhetoric. This shift was starkly illustrated when Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of the new National Citizen Party (NCP), threatened that if Bangladesh was destabilized, it would seek to isolate India's northeastern states, known as the "Seven Sisters" and provide refuge to separatist forces.
The rise of such rhetoric points to a fundamental failure of Indian foreign policy, according to regional experts. For decades, India's strategy was narrowly focused on cultivating the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina, often alienating other political forces and the Bangladeshi public. This one-party policy allowed grievances over unresolved issues like the Teesta river water sharing agreement, a significant trade imbalance, and killings along the border by India's Border Security Force to fester. The perception of India exercising undue influence over Bangladesh's internal politics transformed into broad public resentment, which became a driving force in the 2024 uprising that toppled Hasina.
India now faces the consequences of this myopic policy. With the Awami League banned from contesting the upcoming election and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) positioned as the frontrunner, New Delhi is attempting a clumsy recalibration. Recent gestures, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public message of support for ailing BNP leader Khaleda Zia, are seen as belated attempts to build bridges with alternative power centers. However, the persistent refusal to address Hasina's status or the structural grievances of the Bangladeshi people continues to feed the very anti-India sentiment that now threatens the security of its diplomatic missions. The incident at the High Commission is not an isolated security scare but a direct manifestation of a bilateral relationship in serious distress, caused primarily by India's own patronizing and partisan approach to its neighbor.