A map showing a so-called “Greater Bangladesh” swallowing India’s entire Northeast, West Bengal, parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Myanmar’s Arakan state was brazenly displayed at Dhaka University during Bengali New Year celebrations this April. More than just an academic or cultural display, the map, linked to an obscure Islamist outfit called Sultanat-e-Bangla and allegedly backed by a Turkish NGO, has set off alarm bells in Indian strategic circles.
Three months after the incident, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, has acknowledged the development, stressing that New Delhi is “closely monitoring all developments” that could impact national security. Though the Government of Bangladesh has downplayed the incident through its fact-checking arm, the implications of this event go far beyond a one-off exhibition — pointing instead to a deeper, dangerous ideological undercurrent being fanned by foreign forces in the region.
The ‘Greater Bangladesh’ map
The map, displayed during an event marking Pohela Baishakh on April 14, 2025, was part of a so-called historical exhibition referencing the Bengal Sultanate. Hosted at Dhaka University a known hub of student activism and intellectual discourse in Bangladesh the map depicted a fictional future Bangladesh that incorporated significant Indian territory, including sensitive border regions like Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, West Bengal, and even the eastern state of Odisha, along with the Buddhist-majority Arakan region in Myanmar.
This cartographic aggression, thinly veiled as “historical nostalgia,” was not circulated in isolation. It found traction across radical social media ecosystems in Bangladesh and Pakistan and was amplified by groups with known anti-India leanings. The fact that such a map was exhibited at a reputed academic institution — with no prior warning and little oversight — has led to questions about how deep-rooted this ideological project has become.
Turkish-Backed ‘Sultanat-e-Bangla’ under scanner
According to the MEA, the group behind the exhibition, Sultanat-e-Bangla, is reportedly an Islamist entity with links to the Turkish Youth Federation, an NGO based in Turkey. While the Bangladesh government’s official fact-checker BanglaFact claimed there is “no evidence” of the group being operational in the country, the MEA’s acknowledgment of its existence and influence reveals that Indian agencies are taking the development seriously.
Experts in regional security view this as part of a broader strategy by Turkey to extend its Islamist soft power into South Asia — using NGOs, religious outreach, and academic programs to penetrate societies already grappling with radical influences. Turkey’s neo-Ottoman foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been aggressive in targeting Muslim-majority regions, where it often backs revivalist groups promoting Islamic identity over national allegiance. Bangladesh, with its historical friction between secularism and Islamism, presents fertile ground for such ideological infiltration.
Responding to a pointed question in the Rajya Sabha by senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar presented a calm but firm statement:
“The Government has taken note of reports that an Islamist group in Dhaka called the ‘Saltanat-e-Bangla’, backed by a Turkish NGO called the ‘Turkish Youth Federation’, has put out a map of the so-called ‘Greater Bangladesh’ that includes parts of India. The map was displayed in the Dhaka University.”
While Dr. Jaishankar stopped short of detailing any direct diplomatic engagement with Turkey or Bangladesh on this issue, his response indicated that the Indian Government is not taking the matter lightly. The emphasis on “closely monitoring developments” and “safeguarding national security” underscores a broader security doctrine that prioritizes strategic patience over public confrontation — a hallmark of Jaishankar’s foreign policy leadership.
The ousting of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seen as India’s most dependable ally in Dhaka has triggered a surge in anti-India sentiment. Her decision to self-exile in India has further inflamed nationalist and Islamist rhetoric in Bangladesh, with many accusing her of selling out national interests to Delhi.
Anti-Hasina forces, many of whom lean Islamist or pro-Pakistan, have now positioned India as the convenient external enemy. Social media in Bangladesh is rife with conspiracies that blame India for the country’s internal political problems, and Delhi’s perceived support for Hasina is being exploited to fuel a new wave of anti-India mobilisation — including among student groups and intellectual circles in Dhaka.
This is the dangerous environment in which the ‘Greater Bangladesh’ map was unveiled. It is no coincidence that the narrative has found its way into academia and social media — both of which are powerful tools in the ideological warfare being waged against India. While the MEA has refrained from officially accusing Turkey or Pakistan of active involvement in promoting the Greater Bangladesh narrative, the circumstantial evidence is hard to ignore.
Turkey’s recent pattern of ideological expansionism whether in Kashmir, Sri Lanka, or now Bangladesh follows a playbook designed to sow discord, rewrite history, and revive pan-Islamist sentiment. Pakistan, on the other hand, has always eyed Bangladesh as part of its unfinished agenda in the subcontinent, having never fully accepted the loss of East Pakistan in 1971.
The idea of a Greater Bangladesh serves multiple strategic objectives for these countries:
- Destabilise India’s Northeast by stoking secessionist tendencies;
- Legitimise illegal migration by invoking historical-contiguity theories;
- Create a cultural-ideological bridge between anti-India elements in Bangladesh and radical elements in India;
- Internationalise India’s internal affairs under the pretext of ‘ethnic unity’ or ‘human rights’.
For India, this is not merely about a map it’s about potential consequences on the ground.
India’s Northeast remains a delicate patchwork of ethnic identities, many of which already harbour grievances rooted in history and development gaps. Injecting ideas of a ‘Greater Bangladesh’ into this volatile region risks fuelling insurgency, reviving dormant secessionist ambitions, and providing ideological fodder to sleeper cells or radicalised youth influenced by cross-border propaganda.
The illegal migration problem, particularly in Assam and Bengal, is already a festering issue. If the Greater Bangladesh narrative gains traction, it could be used to legitimise territorial and demographic aggression turning a chronic border issue into an existential threat.
The Government is strengthening internal defences:
- Surveillance along the India-Bangladesh border is being intensified;
- Intelligence agencies are monitoring radical groups and foreign NGO funding;
- Covert diplomatic channels are being used to convey India’s deep concerns to Dhaka;
- Strategic cooperation with other like-minded countries to counter Turkish and Pakistani ideological outreach is being quietly expanded.
Under Dr. Jaishankar’s stewardship, India’s foreign policy has consistently shown that it does not react to provocation with rhetoric, but with calibrated responses rooted in long-term national interest.
