Disaster in India-Bangladesh relations spirals amid violent protests

[ad_1] Anbarasan Ethirajan World affairs correspondent

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/a3da/live/764f6700-dfe7-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/a3da/live/764f6700-dfe7-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a3da/live/764f6700-dfe7-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/a3da/live/764f6700-dfe7-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/a3da/live/764f6700-dfe7-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/a3da/live/764f6700-dfe7-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/a3da/live/764f6700-dfe7-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a3da/live/764f6700-dfe7-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="NurPhoto via Getty Images n Kolkata, India, on December 22, 2025, members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and religious activists burn posters of Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government, during a protest near the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata. The demonstration follows reports of recent violence in Bangladesh after the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi and the death of Hindu garment worker Dipu Chandra Das on December 18 amid allegations of blasphemy. (Photo by Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto via Getty Images)" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> NurPhoto through Getty Pictures Protests erupted in India over the killing of a Hindu garment employee in Bangladesh

The killing of a Hindu man throughout current violent protests in Bangladesh has pushed already strained ties between Dhaka and Delhi right into a deeper disaster.

As the 2 neighbours accuse one another of destabilising relations, questions are rising over whether or not their as soon as shut, time-tested relationship is fraying past restore.

In India, the episode has sparked protests by Hindu nationalist teams. The person who was killed - Dipu Chandra Das, 27 - a member of Bangladesh's Hindu minority, was accused of blasphemy and overwhelmed to loss of life by a mob final week in Mymensingh, in northern Bangladesh.

The incident occurred as violent protests broke out over the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi , a distinguished pupil chief, within the capital, Dhaka.

Hadi's supporters alleged that the principle suspect, who they are saying is linked to the Awami League - the celebration of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina - had fled to India, additional fuelling anti-India sentiment in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Bangladeshi police, nevertheless, mentioned there was no affirmation that the suspect had left the nation.

In current days, the South Asian neighbours have suspended visa companies in a number of cities, together with Delhi, and accused one another of failing to make sure enough safety for his or her diplomatic missions.

The 2 international locations have additionally summoned one another's excessive commissioners to lift their safety issues.

"I sincerely hope tensions do not escalate additional on each side," Riva Ganguly Das, a former Indian excessive commissioner to Dhaka, advised the BBC, including that the "unstable state of affairs" in Bangladesh made it tough to foretell which approach issues would go.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/410d/live/cb5f8ee0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/410d/live/cb5f8ee0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/410d/live/cb5f8ee0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/410d/live/cb5f8ee0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/410d/live/cb5f8ee0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/410d/live/cb5f8ee0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/410d/live/cb5f8ee0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/410d/live/cb5f8ee0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Getty Images Graffiti is painted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 21, 2025, in memory of Osman Hadi, who is killed by an assailant's gunfire. (Photo by Md. Rakibul Hasan Rafiu/NurPhoto via Getty Images)" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Getty Pictures Graffiti in Dhaka, painted in reminiscence of Sharif Osman Hadi who died of gunshot accidents

Anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh will not be new.

A bit of Bangladeshis has all the time resented what they see as India's overbearing affect on their nation, particularly throughout Hasina's 15-year rule earlier than she was deposed in an rebellion final 12 months.

The anger has grown since Hasina took refuge in India and Delhi, up to now, hasn't agreed to ship her again regardless of a number of requests from Dhaka.

Within the aftermath of Hadi's killing, some younger leaders are reported to have made provocative anti-India statements.

In current weeks, Bangladeshi safety forces needed to cease protesters from marching towards the Indian excessive fee in Dhaka.

Final week, a mob pelted the Indian assistant excessive fee constructing in Chittagong with stones, prompting outrage from Delhi. Police later detained 12 folks in reference to the incident, however they have been launched later with none cost.

There have been counter rallies in India. Bangladesh strongly objected to a protest by a Hindu group exterior its diplomatic premises in Delhi, calling it "unjustifiable".

"I've not seen this type of suspicion and distrust between the 2 sides earlier than," Humayun Kabir, a former senior Bangladeshi diplomat, mentioned.

He added that each side ought to defend one another's diplomatic missions in line with established norms.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/2f7f/live/e5d898c0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/2f7f/live/e5d898c0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2f7f/live/e5d898c0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/2f7f/live/e5d898c0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/2f7f/live/e5d898c0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/2f7f/live/e5d898c0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/2f7f/live/e5d898c0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2f7f/live/e5d898c0-dfd9-11f0-8f37-51273813293d.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="AFP via Getty Images Students with black cloth tied over their faces hold placards during a silent protest to condemn the lynching of Hindu garment worker Dipu Chandra Das near the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University in Dhaka on December 21, 2025. Fuelled in part by growing anti-India sentiments in the majority Muslim nation, the violence this week over the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi in Bangladesh saw a Hindu garment worker killed in the central district of Mymensingh on December 18, following allegations of blasphemy. (Photo by Abdul Goni / AFP via Getty Images)" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> AFP through Getty Pictures A silent protest in Bangladesh to sentence the killing of Dipu Chandra Das

Some readers might discover the small print beneath disturbing.

The brutal lynching of Das, a garment manufacturing unit employee, has solely added to the anger on the Indian aspect.

He was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad and was lynched by a mob, who then tied his physique to a tree and set it on fireplace.

Movies of the killing have been broadly shared on social media, triggering outrage on each side of the border.

Bangladesh's interim authorities, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, mentioned there was "no place for such violence within the new Bangladesh", promising that nobody concerned within the killing can be spared.

Bangladeshi police say they've arrested 12 folks in reference to the killing of Das.

Analysts say his killing has as soon as once more raised questions over the security of minorities and civil society activists in Bangladesh, with spiritual fundamentalists turning into extra assertive and illiberal after Hasina's exit.

Radical Islamists have desecrated lots of of Sufi shrines, attacked Hindus, prevented ladies from enjoying soccer in some areas and have additionally curtailed music and cultural exhibits.

Human rights teams have additionally expressed growing issues over rising mob violence in Bangladesh previously 12 months.

"Hardline components of society now see themselves because the mainstream, they usually do not need to see pluralism or range of thought within the nation," Asif Bin Ali, a Bangladeshi political analyst, mentioned.

"These radical components are dehumanising folks and establishments by setting a story that they're pro-India. That offers a inexperienced mild to others on the bottom to assault them."

Many in Bangladesh suspect Islamist radicals to be a part of the mob that vandalised and set fireplace to the buildings of two Bangladesh dailies - The Every day Star and Prothom Alo - and a cultural establishment final week, accusing them of being pro-India.

Civil society activists in Bangladesh have criticised the interim administration for failing to cease the current violence. Even earlier than the protests, the interim authorities was underneath scrutiny because it struggled to take care of legislation and order and ship outcomes amid the political turmoil.

Specialists like Ashok Swain argue that right-wing leaders on each side are making provocative statements for their very own profit, inflaming rigidity and public anger.

"A big part of the Indian media can be enjoying up occasions in Bangladesh and portraying that the nation is descending into communal chaos," says Mr Swain, a professor of peace and battle analysis at Uppsala College in Sweden.

"Individuals ought to realise that stability in Bangladesh is essential to India's safety, notably within the north-east," he says.

With the interim administration in Dhaka going through criticism over its lack of management and legitimacy, there's broad consensus that an elected authorities can be higher positioned to deal with Bangladesh's home and overseas challenges.

The nation is scheduled to carry elections on 12 February however till then, Yunus has the tough job of avoiding additional violence.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/76f9/live/2b469ca0-dfe8-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/76f9/live/2b469ca0-dfe8-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/76f9/live/2b469ca0-dfe8-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/76f9/live/2b469ca0-dfe8-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/76f9/live/2b469ca0-dfe8-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/76f9/live/2b469ca0-dfe8-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/76f9/live/2b469ca0-dfe8-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/76f9/live/2b469ca0-dfe8-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Getty Images Police block the ''March to the Indian High Commission'' program in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 17, 2025. The program is organized to demand the repatriation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is ousted from power following the student and public uprising after the July massacre, and others allegedly involved in the killings who are currently staying in India. The protest also condemns ongoing conspiracies by Indian proxies, political parties, media outlets, and government officials. (Photo by Maruf Rahman/NurPhoto via Getty Images)" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Getty Pictures Police blocked a protest march to the Indian excessive fee in Dhaka final week

With Ms Hasina's Awami League banned from participating within the polls, it is broadly anticipated that the Bangladesh Nationalist Occasion (BNP) will emerge because the winner.

However Islamist political events just like the Jamaat-e-Islami can pose a problem to the BNP.

There are worries that there could possibly be extra violence within the coming days as hardline spiritual events exploit anti-India sentiments.

"The most important sufferer of this anti-India politics will not be India, it is Bangladeshi residents themselves – like secular minded people, centrists and minorities," warns Asif Bin Ali.

He says the present narrative exhibits that anybody or any establishment who criticises fundamentalists will be "dehumanised by labelling them pro-India, and assaults on them will be justified".

Coverage makers in India are conscious of the altering dynamics in Bangladesh.

An Indian parliamentary panel mentioned developments in Bangladesh pose "the best strategic problem" to Delhi because the nation's independence battle in 1971.

Former Bangladeshi diplomats like Humayun Kabir really feel that India ought to settle for the bottom actuality and attain out to Bangladesh to rebuild belief.

"We're neighbours and inter-dependent," Mr Kabir says.

Delhi has already indicated that it's going to interact with an elected authorities in Bangladesh and that would pave the way in which for a diplomatic reboot.