(Chietigj Bajpaee – Chatham House) As Bangladesh prepares to hold elections on 12 February – after almost 18 months under an unelected interim government – India is seeking a reset in bilateral relations. The relationship between Dhaka and New Delhi has deteriorated after the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August 2024 following large-scale unrest in which some 1,400 people were killed. India’s historically close relations with Hasina’s party – the Awami League – fuelled allegations that New Delhi empowered her government’s increasingly autocratic tendencies. The fact that Hasina fled to India and has continued to make statements from there has added to the bad blood, as has the verdict issued in November which found her guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to death. Bangladesh and India maintain an extradition treaty, but New Delhi has so far refused to extradite Hasina on the grounds that it has the right to refuse requests if the offence is of a ‘political character’. New Delhi fears that Hasina’s removal from power has created space for groups that are hostile towards India, amid growing anti-India rhetoric and violence in Bangladesh. Attacks on minorities – including Bangladesh’s 13 million-strong Hindu population – have exacerbated tensions. The Bangladeshi government claims that such attacks have been exaggerated and are largely politically motivated, not about religious affiliation. The murder in December of a Bangladeshi youth activist who had been critical of India triggered further unrest, including the lynching of a Hindu man. Claims that the suspects fled to India worsened relations between the two countries. Reflecting the poor state of bilateral relations, India halved its financial assistance to Bangladesh in its latest budget.
India wants to reset relations after Bangladesh elections. It will be easier said than done
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