• Source:JND
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Tensions between India and Bangladesh escalated this week after Dhaka summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe to protest recent interviews that former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave to Indian media outlets. The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry has "expressed its serious concern at New Delhi allowing the ousted leader, who is currently staying in India, to make public utterances that, it said, had the potential to "incite unrest and harm bilateral relations."

According to Bangladesh's state-run news agency BSS, Dhaka called upon India to limit Hasina's access to television and news platforms, citing that her remarks were provocative at a time when the country's political situation is very fragile. The Indian envoy reportedly told the Bangladeshi officials that their concerns would be conveyed to New Delhi.

Tensions Rise After Hasina’s Ouster

The diplomatic episode comes at a time of heightened strain between the two neighbours, following Hasina’s dramatic ouster in August 2024 and the rise of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as interim leader. The former prime minister fled Bangladesh on August 5, shortly after mass protests and violent clashes forced her government from power. Since then, she has been living in India, facing multiple criminal cases in Bangladesh, charges her supporters claim are politically motivated. 

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In one of her first major interviews since her removal, Hasina told CNN-News18 that the current government in Dhaka was “unelected” and “propped up by protesters and the military.” She alleged that Yunus’s administration was “actually run by extremists linked to Hizb-ut Tahrir,” calling the events of 2024 a “pre-planned coup.”

“The speed with which Yunus seized power, the immediate immunity granted to perpetrators, and the dissolution of our judicial inquiry all indicate a preconceived strategy,” Hasina said, accusing the Nobel laureate and his backers of orchestrating her downfall.

‘Peaceful Protests Turned Violent,’ Says Hasina

Describing the circumstances that led to her flight from Bangladesh, the 78-year-old former leader said the initially peaceful student protests over civil service quotas were “hijacked by radical agitators” by early August. “What began as a movement for reform turned into a state of lawlessness led by a violent mob,” she noted. 

Since taking power, the Yunus administration has repeatedly demanded Hasina’s extradition to face trial. However, India has not responded to those requests, maintaining that Hasina is currently staying in the country on humanitarian grounds.

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