India on Sunday firmly rejected allegations by Bangladesh’s interim government that it is allowing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to make “incendiary statements” from Indian soil to incite unrest and terrorism in Bangladesh.
The response came shortly after Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma was summoned to Bangladesh’s foreign ministry in Dhaka, where officials lodged a protest over Hasina’s activities. Hasina has been living in self-imposed exile in India since the collapse of her government in August 2024.
Bangladesh is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on February 12. Former prime minister Hasina’s Awami League has been barred from contesting by the country’s election commission.
Dhaka further sought India’s cooperation in preventing suspects linked to the recent attempted assassination of Bangladeshi political leader Sharif Osman Hadi from fleeing into Indian territory. Hadi, a youth leader of the right-wing Inqilab Manch and an election candidate, was critically injured after being shot by unidentified assailants in Dhaka two days earlier.
Relations between the two countries have sharply deteriorated since Muhammad Yunus-led interim government took charge in August 2024. India has repeatedly raised concerns over attacks on minorities and the resurgence of extremist forces in Bangladesh.
