On August 5, 2024, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power following violent protests that began with the students of Bangladesh and were eventually taken up by civilians. This event signaled a clear message to the world: Bangladesh is changing, undergoing a significant socio-political transformation, and seeking a new sovereign identity. However, India, as Bangladesh’s immediate and closest neighbor, has failed to recognize this shift and continues to misinterpret the emerging realities in the country.
Bangladesh went to the polls on February 12. The outcome, as expected, witnessed the comeback of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman, who returned to the country after living abroad for 17 years, what was being touted as a self-imposed exile. Rahman’s entry into Bangladesh’s evolving political landscape did not come as a surprise either to Dhaka’s neighbours or to other partners like the United States or China. Both the U.S. as well as China did not want the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI), which is in opposition now, to come to power despite its massive resurgence in the country, especially in the rural areas.
India, which has been completely aligned with the former Bangladesh Awami League government led by Hasina, started reaching out to Rahman upon his return to the country on December25, 2025. India even dispatched External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to attend Rahman’s mother and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia’s funeral despite peak tensions between Delhi and Dhaka. The main cause for the tensions, which gave rise to an acrimonious relationship between the two former friendly countries, was the coming in of the interim government that ruled the country from August 2024 till February 2025, under Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.
During Yunus’ tenure, the relationship between Delhi and Dhaka deteriorated significantly, reaching levels of tension not experienced in the last two decades. India expressed strong disapproval of the interim administration in Bangladesh, referring to its establishment as “illegal and unconstitutional.” This discontent was further fuelled by reports of targeted attacks and violence against members of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, prompting India to voice its concerns.
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In reaction to the escalating situation, both nations took steps to limit diplomatic exchanges, particularly in relation to visa issuance. Each government cited security concerns as the primary reason for these measures. The Bangladeshi interim government went so far as to suspend all non-essential visa categories for Indian citizens, allowing only for business and employment visas to remain operational. This decision was taken, according to the then interim administration, as a precautionary move following a series of threats and acts of vandalism directed at its diplomatic missions, notably in Kolkata and Agartala, as well as violent protests that occurred outside the Bangladeshi High Commission in New Delhi.
These actions reflected the growing distrust and volatility between the two nations, underscoring the fragility of diplomatic relations amid internal strife and external pressures. As a consequence, both diplomatic missions saw an increase in security measures, and the safety of diplomatic staff became a pressing concern as tensions persisted. The ongoing unrest not only affected bilateral ties but also raised alarm over the safety and well-being of minority communities within Bangladesh, further complicating an already fraught diplomatic landscape.
Meanwhile, the interim government also imposed a ban on the Awami League party disallowing it from participating in the elections. On the other hand, Hasina, who continues to live in a secret location in India, has been granted complete freedom to address her party workers, followers and the media through social media platforms and other backchannels. This also added to the growing tensions as Hasina continued to lambast the Yunus-led caretaker government as well as the BNP after it came to power. She has even accused that after her departure from the country there has been a sharp spike in militancy and terrorism-an allegation that has been vehemently denied by Yunus, BNP as well as BJI.
Distrust Remains
However, it was expected that with the arrival of a democratically elected and stable government in Dhaka, there would be a reset in the bilateral relationship. While the issuance of visas have resumed, some of the recent developments between both countries have given rise to more tensions.
Prime Minister Rahman’s swearing-in ceremony on February 17, was attended by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Subsequently, on March 20, Jaishankar met Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah for the first time since he assumed charge on April 7, 2025.
This paved the way for the much-awaited visit of Khalilur Rahman, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, to India, along with Humayun Kabir, the Adviser on Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. While India wanted to treat this visit as an “official visit”, Dhaka sought to play it down and called it to be a “goodwill visit”. During his meetings with Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval, Rahman expressed Dhaka’s concerns over their national security, with particular focus on river water sharing and border killings, which has been marked by the current dispensation in Dhaka as the topmost priority areas in order to smoothen the tensed bilateral ties.
It needs to be noted here that Rahman in his earlier avatar as the National Security Advisor (NSA) of Bangladesh came to New Delhi to meet his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval. Rahman was the NSA under the interim government of Bangladesh.
During his visit, the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister has reiterated that renewal of the three-decades old Ganges Water Treaty, which expires in December 2026, is their topmost priority. He also told his Indian counterpart to decisively address the equitable sharing of vital rivers like the Teesta are imperative steps that would transform public perceptions and foster closer ties between the nations.
Now that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come to power in West Bengal, the Narendra Modi government will no longer be able to put the blame on the previous state government for not accommodating Bangladesh’s long-standing request on the River Teesta. Water is a state subject under the Constitution of India, therefore, the state government’s consent is key in transboundary river water sharing.
The Teesta deal was set to be signed during former PM Manmohan Singh’s visit to Bangladesh in September 2011 but was postponed at the last minute due to objections raised by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The current Chief Minister of West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari is expected to come under pressure to take an opposite stance in this contentious matter.
Adhikari had placed the issue of illegal infiltration from Bangladesh at the center of his election campaign. His rhetoric and remarks frequently targeted Bangladesh in connection with border security, demographic concerns, and communal sentiments.
The Teesta River flows through Sikkim and then enters West Bengal before finally merging with the Brahmaputra in Assam and the Jamuna in Bangladesh. There are 54 rivers that pass through the Indo-Bangladesh border.
On September 6, 2022, India and Bangladesh had signed a key treaty to share the water of a key transboundary river, Kushiyara.
When Prime Minister Modi came to power in May 2014, he had promised as part of his ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy that the Teesta matter would be settled.
Coming to the issue of border management, India and Bangladesh share a 4,156 km long border which remains heavily militarized in order to curb cross-border crimes and illegal immigration. While India has fenced approximately 3,271 km, ongoing construction in disputed areas remains a source of diplomatic friction. The use of lethal force by the Border Security Force (BSF) continues to cause bilateral tensions.
Meanwhile, a recent interview given by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to an Indian media outlet has once again given rise to tensions between both countries. In the interview, Sarma said, “The 4,156 km India-Bangladesh border is heavily militarized to curb cross-border crimes and illegal immigration. While India has fenced approximately 3,271 km, ongoing construction in disputed areas remains a source of diplomatic friction. The use of lethal force by the Border Security Force (BSF) continues to cause bilateral tensions.”
He also said, his government “pushed back” illegal immigrants across the border during night time.
Bangladesh is also up in arms over recent remarks made by the Ministry of External Affairs over India’s long-pending request to Dhaka to verify the nationality of over 2,860 people whom “we think are Bangladeshi nationals, and they are staying here in India. We are yet to get a response on this particular matter.”
On the other hand, Dhaka’s proximity with China and Pakistan has also rattled New Delhi. After Bangladesh Foreign Minister Rahman’s visit to China, Prime Minister Rahman is expected to undertake his first official state visit to Beijing.
In an unprecedented move, Dhaka has also decided to send its civil servants for training in Pakistan-a first since Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Therefore, a reset between India and Bangladesh, once considered the closest of neighbours in the region, is still a distant goal. The Modi government is seeking ways to improve diplomatic relations, and a significant step in this direction is the recent appointment of Dinesh Trivedi as New Delhi’s envoy to Bangladesh. By choosing Trivedi, a seasoned politician rather than a traditional career diplomat, India aims to convey to Dhaka that fostering stronger political ties is currently its highest priority.
This decision suggests an intent to approach diplomatic relations with a fresh perspective and to engage more directly at the political level. However, despite this hopeful development, the journey towards rebuilding trust and cooperation remains fraught with challenges. Historical grievances, differing political agendas, and growing bilateral tensions continue to complicate the path forward, making the task of establishing a renewed partnership between the two countries a complex and formidable undertaking.
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Nayanima Basu is a senior independent journalist.
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