- By Shivangi Sharma
- Tue, 16 Dec 2025 09:58 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Tensions flared between India and Bangladesh after a senior Bangladeshi political leader warned that Dhaka could support forces hostile to India, including separatist groups, and hinted at efforts to isolate India’s northeastern states, collectively known as the ‘Seven Sisters’.
Hasnat Abdullah, a senior leader of the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), made the remarks on Monday while addressing a gathering at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar. He warned that Bangladesh could offer refuge to separatist and anti-India forces if India continued to provide shelter to individuals who, according to him, do not respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, voting rights and human rights.
“I want to make it clear to India that if you provide shelter to forces that do not respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, potential, voting rights, and human rights, Bangladesh will respond,” Abdullah said, in an apparent reference to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in exile in India since fleeing the country in August 2024.
Threat To India’s ‘Seven Sisters’
Abdullah went further, statng that Bangladesh could allow such forces to operate in a manner that would effectively cut off India’s northeastern states from the rest of the country. The ‘Seven Sisters’ include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Of these, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram share a land border with Bangladesh.
“If Bangladesh is destabilised, the fire of resistance will spread beyond its borders,” Abdullah warned, adding that Dhaka could provide sanctuary to “separatist and anti-India forces”.
He also accused unnamed external actors of trying to dominate Bangladesh even decades after its independence, claiming that “vultures” were still seeking control over the country.
Assam CM Condemns ‘Dangerous And Misguided’ Remarks
The comments triggered a sharp response from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who condemned the statement as “completely misguided” and “dangerous”. Sarma warned that India would not remain silent in the face of threats to its territorial integrity.
“For the past year, there have been discussions in Bangladesh suggesting that India’s Northeast should be separated from the country and merged with Bangladesh. Such thinking is completely wrong,” Sarma said. “One should not forget that India is a large, nuclear-armed nation and the world’s fourth-largest economy. It is wrong even to imagine something like this.” He added that Bangladesh must clearly understand that any attempt to destabilise India’s northeastern states would invite a firm response.
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Historical Militant Links Raise Security Concerns
India has long expressed concerns over militant and separatist groups using Bangladeshi territory as a sanctuary, transit route or logistics base, particularly during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Groups such as the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) were reportedly linked to camps and support networks across the border.
The situation improved significantly after Sheikh Hasina returned to power in 2009, with Bangladesh cracking down on insurgent groups targeting India and strengthening bilateral security cooperation.
Sarma said it was essential to send a clear message that India would firmly respond to any provocation aimed at destabilising the Northeast. His remarks come amid growing concern over geopolitical narratives and online discussions emerging across the border, prompting renewed calls for vigilance and diplomatic clarity.