Bangladesh’s political landscape has undergone a seismic shift in the past year, and its reverberations are being felt far beyond its borders. At the heart of the current unease lies a fraught relationship with neighboring India, brought to a boil by the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her subsequent refuge in New Delhi. As Bangladesh’s Nobel laureate interim leader Muhammad Yunus navigates the country through a turbulent transition, both nations are grappling with mistrust, allegations, and the challenge of charting a new diplomatic course.
It all began on August 5, 2024, when massive student-led protests swept through Bangladesh. The demonstrations, fueled by deep political grievances and a hunger for reform, erupted into a movement that ultimately toppled Hasina’s 15-year rule. As protesters stormed her official residence, Hasina managed to escape to India, where she has remained ever since. According to News Arena Network, the interim administration was quickly installed under Yunus, who promised to steer the country toward fresh elections. But Hasina’s flight—and India’s decision to grant her refuge—set the stage for a new chapter of tension between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Yunus didn’t mince words about the current state of affairs. “We have problems with India right now because they didn’t like what the students have done,” he told News Arena Network. “They are hosting Hasina, the former prime minister, who created all these problems and killed young people. That has created a lot of tensions between India and Bangladesh.” The interim leader’s remarks, widely circulated on social media and reported by multiple outlets, reflect a growing sense of frustration within Bangladesh’s new leadership.
Yunus has also taken aim at what he describes as disinformation campaigns emanating from across the border. “Also, fake news comes from the other side, making all kinds of propaganda that this is a very bad thing, and this is an Islamic movement. These are the Talibans who took over Bangladesh. They say I am a Taliban too,” he said, as reported by NDTV and News18. The Nobel laureate’s irritation is palpable, as he accuses Indian media of framing the student protests as an Islamist uprising—a narrative he vehemently rejects.
India’s stance, meanwhile, has been a delicate balancing act. While New Delhi has maintained engagement with the interim government—Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Yunus in April 2025 on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok—there is no denying the strain. Modi reiterated India’s support for a “democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh,” but also voiced concerns about the safety of religious minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh. “Rhetoric that vitiates the environment is best avoided,” Modi reportedly told Yunus, as noted by NDTV and News Arena Network.
The issue of Hasina’s continued presence in India remains a major sticking point. Bangladesh has formally sought her extradition to face a litany of court cases, including accusations of crimes against humanity related to protester deaths during her rule. India, however, extended her visa in January 2025, and shows no signs of altering its position. The Bangladesh Election Commission has since blocked the National IDs of Hasina and ten family members, effectively barring them from voting in the upcoming national elections scheduled for February 2026. “The upcoming parliamentary election will allow both in-country and out-of-country voting. Bangladeshis living abroad will have to register online, and a system is currently being developed for this purpose,” Akhtar Ahmed, Senior Secretary of the Election Commission, told local media.
The diplomatic rift has spilled over into broader regional dynamics. Yunus has been vocal about his desire to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which has been dormant for nearly a decade. He described the SAARC nations as “close family members” and called for renewed cooperation. Yet, he didn’t shy away from criticizing India’s role in the grouping’s stagnation. “SAARC is not working because it doesn’t fit into the politics of one country,” Yunus said during a meeting with U.S. officials, as reported by NDTV. At the same time, he floated the idea of Bangladesh joining ASEAN to accelerate economic development, signaling a willingness to look beyond traditional alliances.
India, for its part, has largely shifted its focus from SAARC to BIMSTEC, a regional grouping that notably excludes Pakistan. This pivot reflects New Delhi’s frustration with Islamabad’s alleged support for cross-border terrorism, which led to the cancellation of the planned 2016 SAARC summit. The BIMSTEC platform has become a new arena for India to raise concerns with Bangladesh, particularly regarding the treatment of minorities and the use of inflammatory rhetoric.
Yunus’s leadership has not been without its own challenges. In an interview with NPR, he spoke candidly about the difficulties of restoring public trust in law enforcement and civil institutions after years of authoritarian rule. “For example, law enforcement. These are the same people who are shooting at the young students. Suddenly, they are the one that’s put the law in order on the street, and people say, you are the one who are shooting at me. People who did it, they were demoralized because they are afraid that they will be beaten up. There is no identity that this guy is wrong. This guy is right. For them, these are police wearing the uniform,” Yunus explained. The persistence of mob violence and extrajudicial killings remains a concern, and Yunus acknowledges that rebuilding trust is a long process.
Despite these hurdles, Yunus insists that progress is being made. “We have come a long way, definitely. I think within this period, we restored the confidence in the police force. But again, you’re in a broken system. It takes time for people to have complete trust,” he told NPR. He also outlined his vision for the country’s future: “We have to create a new world, a world of three zeros—zero net carbon emission, zero wealth concentration, zero unemployment.”
The interim government is pressing ahead with preparations for the February 2026 general election, which will be the first truly competitive vote in 15 years. Yunus has pledged not to seek office himself, vowing to return to his work in economics and poverty alleviation once the transition is complete. The path forward is anything but certain, with the specter of Hasina’s influence still looming and the Awami League banned from participating in the political process—unless, as Yunus hinted, they renounce violence and accept accountability for past actions.
As Bangladesh stands at a crossroads, its relationship with India remains a central—and unresolved—question. The coming months will test the resilience of both countries’ diplomatic ties, as well as the ability of Yunus’s interim administration to deliver on its promises of reform, justice, and a peaceful return to democracy. For now, the world watches as two neighbors navigate the aftermath of upheaval, each searching for a way forward in a region where history, politics, and personal rivalries are inextricably intertwined.