On August 5, Sheikh Hasina, the deposed Prime Minister of Bangladesh, made her first public audio address, marking the second anniversary of the student uprising that ousted her. The event was organised by Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia, New Delhi. This was described by India as a private media entity and the Indian government neither participated in it nor endorsed it. But Bangladesh reacted sharply and called the event “an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh”. In the last two years, Indo-Bangladesh relations have gone through a turbulent phase and the event of August 5, is likely to cause short-term deterioration in the diplomatic relations between the two neighbours.
Under the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus, Bangladesh adopted anti-India stance and quickly re-established diplomatic and military relations with Pakistan. The minority Hindu community in Bangladesh faced extreme violence from the radical Islamists, with the police and army remaining mute spectators. India had hoped that the newly elected BNP led government under PM Tarique Rahman which came to power in February this year would restore the ties between the two neighbours to normalcy soon. Unfortunately, the relationship remains tense though India has resumed regular tourist visa services for the people of Bangladesh from June 28, 2026. India has also continued to supply diesel to Bangladesh besides providing 1160 MW of power. But to the dismay of India, the minority Hindus still feel unsafe in Bangladesh.
The seriousness of India to improve ties with Bangladesh can be gauged from the fact that it appointed a senior political leader Dinesh Trivedi as the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh in June 2026, with Cabinet rank status. On the other hand, PM Tarique Rahman chose to visit China as his first overseas tour, breaking from the convention of visiting India first. In the June 2026 visit to China, their bilateral relationship was elevated to the highest level of ‘China-Bangladesh Community with a Shared Future’. The visit also proposed China-Myanmar-Bangladesh connectivity, similar to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), thus posing a new strategic concern for India. Much to the discomfort of India, even Mangla Port has been handed over to China, in the garb of economic development. This port is just 80 km from the Indian border and other attempts in Bangladesh to threaten Siliguri Corridor have also been reported.
Sheikh Hasina has declared that she intends to return to Bangladesh by December this year. This tricky issue has become a major friction point between the India-Bangladesh relations. Keeping the differences aside, India has invited Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman as a special guest for the BRICS Summit scheduled in New Delhi from September 12-13. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are most prominent leaders that are expected to attend the summit. India has once again signalled that it is keen to engage with the top leadership of Bangladesh. India has also opened senior level diplomatic and military engagement and is trying to restore much appreciated people to people connect between the two countries.
It is unfortunate to see the economic decline of Bangladesh, a sorry state after being the fastest growing economy of Asia under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina just two years back. There are several indicators of rising radicalisation and extremism, with Jamaat-e-Islami rapidly expanding its footprint in Bangladesh. Even the Bangladesh Army has become highly radicalised and has named newly raised four battalions of the Second Bangladesh Brigade after the four Caliphs of Islam. In addition, the battle cry of these new battalions has been changed from Joy Bangla (Victory to Bangladesh) to Islamic Allahu Akbar. This is sad because the Bangladeshi Army was largely professional and non-political earlier. Then, the long pending problem of illegal immigration from Bangladesh and deportation of illegal Bangladeshis from India is also a source of friction.
As a military professional, I find the emerging strategic concerns from Bangladesh most alarming to India’s security challenges. In my opinion, India should continue to engage with the leadership of Bangladesh. India should also find a respectable solution to return of Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh. But if all else fails, then in my opinion, India has no option but to resort to coercive diplomacy with Bangladesh. India may be constrained to persuade Bangladesh to respect its security concerns and may be asked to reverse all those decisions that adversely impact India’s security. India has the economic leverage and military might to ensure that Bangladesh does not become a pawn in the hands of China and Pakistan.
