Sheikh Hasina's Extradition & Other Thorns in India-Bangladesh Relations

Despite a lull in the violence against Hindus, there has been an ascendance of anti-India sentiments in Bangladesh.

A number of issues have plagued India-Bangladesh relations of late: from growing calls for the Indian government to stop "sheltering" Sheikh Hasina and extradite her, to allegations against India of deliberately opening a key dam and thus causing floods in a number of Bangladesh's districts.

(Photo: AP)

Roughly a month after Sheikh Hasina's dramatic ouster from power and her arrival on 5 August at an air base near New Delhi – where she is still believed to be currently, ties between India and Bangladesh have been on a downward slope with no thaw in sight.

A number of issues have plagued relations of late: from growing calls for the Indian government to stop "sheltering" Hasina and extradite her, to allegations against India of deliberately opening a key dam and thus causing floods in a number of Bangladesh's districts.

Two key parties allegedly playing the role of "spoilers" in the ties are the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) – bitter critics and opponents of Hasina's Awami League which have become emboldened following the 76-year-old former Bangladesh prime minister's ouster.

"What India confronts now is a Jamaat that has learnt the lessons of the past well, but like a leopard, it is unlikely to change its spots. An anti-Indian agenda will remain its major plank and India worries that, like in the past, it will collaborate with the Pakistani ISI to push an active anti-Indian agenda in the country," noted ORF Distinguished Fellow Manoj Joshi writing for The Quint.

Decoding the Growing Violence Against Hindus

One of the most pressing bones of contention between New Delhi and Dhaka has been growing attacks against Hindus residing in Bangladesh ever since the anti-quota protests began in June and more intensively following Hasina's departure.

"The protests provided a cover for attacking Hindus, partly because Hindus are seen as supporters of Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League," Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, told The Quint.

Within the first week of Hasina's ouster, there had been at least 200 incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities in at least 52 of Bangladesh's 64 districts, according to minority rights group Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC). At least five Hindus have been killed so far in the country, as per media reports.

"I saw the attackers hit my father on the head. He died on the spot," Priyonti Chakraborty, a Bangladeshi Hindu living in the country's Bagerhat district, was quoted as saying by Le Monde. She further said that the attackers took advantage of the prevalent chaos in the country to attack her father.

Several reports stated that houses and shops of minorities had been vandalised and several Hindu temples ransacked over the last few weeks.

"Attacks against Hindus also serves the objective of grabbing their property and assets. This has happened time and time again in Bangladesh and is due to the mindset born out of the legacy of partition, communal attitude, and religious indoctrination."

Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh

Highlighting the fears of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, another senior Indian diplomat, who wished not to be named, told The Quint about his time serving in Dhaka when Hindus in the country used to come to him for help.

"I recall Hindus telling me about their experience. They were told, 'Why do you live here? Why don't you go to your homeland?' For hardcore Islamists, the homeland of Hindus is India. These are brainwashed people with religious indoctrination. One can't argue with them rationally," the diplomat said.

Meanwhile, the political dynamics are moving into uncharted territory in Bangladesh. With the demand for a new Constitution from leaders of the student movement, "it seems to be shifting towards an accommodation of Islamic ideology within the structure of the state," noted senior journalist Bharat Bhushan writing for The Quint on 7 September.

'Never Used to Feel Concerned Before, But Now...' 

The violence against minorities has had an impact on several Indian students and Bangladeshi Hindus residing in Dhaka and other cities of the country.

Sucheta Chatterjee*, a 21-year-old Bangladeshi Hindu living in Dhaka, says that while the violence has mostly been concentrated in rural areas and no physical harm has come to her, she despondently adds that constantly hearing of attacks against Hindus in the country has taken a toll on her well-being.

"The violence has definitely had an impact on my mental health. We Hindus have been concerned about the violence against people of our community in different parts of the country. Hopefully it is just a matter of time until things simmer down."

Sucheta Chatterjee, Bangladeshi Hindu

Twenty-two-year-old Ravi Talpade*, a resident of Maharashtra who came to pursue MBBS in Dhaka, says that he contacted the Indian Embassy after the violence broke out due to a sense of trepidation.

"For the first time in this country we felt afraid," he tells The Quint, "And we were determined that we have to get out of this tense situation."

Talpade and a few of his friends got in touch with the embassy in July through their helpline number and asked for their help in repatriating them.

"When we decided to leave and go back to India, we shared details with the embassy like our names, college, car number, etc. We also told them through which border we planned to leave. In the meantime, the authorities advised us to stay in our hostel as much as possible," he says.

The group of students then boarded a private bus on 20 July after being assured by the Indian Embassy that they would monitor the on-ground situation throughout their route to ensure that nothing untoward happens.

"When we got to the military checkpost, they immediately gave us clearance when they got to know that all the passengers were Indians and were on their way back to India," he said.

Similarly, Bhavesh Goenka*, an Indian student pursuing MBBS in Dhaka, says that ever since he came to Bangladesh in 2021, he has never been discriminated against on account of his nationality or religious identity.

"I never used to feel concerned about my safety in Bangladesh," he says. "Not a single person there asked me what my religion was. On the contrary, several people, including our teachers, were curious to know about Indian culture."

However, the anti-quota agitations marked a turning point for Goenka, and many like him.

"When the violence broke out in Bangladesh, my family became very concerned and repeatedly asked me to come back to India," he says.

Following his family's advice, Goenka decided it was time to leave and was among the few Indians who managed to go back to their home country before a complete curfew was imposed across Bangladesh.

Both Talpade and Goenka had been attending classes online while in India. They returned to Dhaka on 29 August to resume their regular classes.

Anti-India Sentiment on the Rise 

Despite a lull in the violence over the last few weeks, there has been an ascendance of anti-India sentiments once again due to a variety of reasons.

1. Severe floods

In August, 11 of Bangladesh's 64 districts were impacted by flooding due to severe rainfall – leading to over one million people being cut off from the rest of the country.

Amid the alarming situation, several Bangladeshis took to social media to allege that the floods were caused due to the Indian government's "deliberate" decision to open the Dumbur Dam, situated in Tripura's Gumti river – which is one of the 54 transboundary rivers shared between India and Bangladesh.

The allegations found their footing across social media platforms given past disagreements between India and Bangladesh over the sharing of river water, particularly the Teesta's.

Mohammad Nahid Islam, an advisor in Bangladesh's interim government and one of the student protesters in the anti-quota agitations, also accused India of "non-cooperation" and alleged that the Indian government opened the gates of the dam without any prior warning.

"Feelings are running high and blaming India is the default position," Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty told The Quint. "Floods have been caused by excessive rain and not because of opening sluice gates of any dam. Even Bangladeshi experts have said so publicly."

India's Ministry of External Affairs, too, was quick to respond to the allegations, saying on 22 August that the Centre was committed to issues surrounding the sharing of water resources between the two neighbours.

2. Delays in processing visas

Yet another concern has been the growing protests by Bangladeshis against the Indian authorities' delay in processing their visas. This comes amid New Delhi's decision to shut its visa application centres in Dhaka and Sathkira on Tuesday, 27 August, amid a general rolling back of its diplomatic presence in the country.

Other visa centres have been running "limited operations" only for those who require urgent student or medical visas, the Indian Visa Application Center (IVAC) said in a statement.

"India had to withdraw visa processing officials because of security concerns," Chakravarty said, adding, "The visa issue is related to security and lack of personnel especially after the Indian Cultural Centre was attacked and set on fire on 5 August."

India is one of the most-visited countries for Bangladeshis, particularly for tourism and medical treatments. Amid the delays in processing visa applications, a number of Bangladeshis have demanded that their passports should be returned.

Photos and videos on social media showed hundreds of people waiting in line outside Indian visa centres.

A demonstration was held in front of an Indian visa centre in Sathkira on Monday, 26 August, after applicants did not get their visas despite waiting in long queues.

"Getting an Indian visa has become a matter of luck. You can’t apply again unless two months have passed since your last attempt. The application fee is 875 Taka, and while the visa is supposed to be issued within 15 days, it often takes two-three months. And even then, the visa doesn’t arrive nor is the passport returned," Rustam Ali, one of the protesters, told the Dhaka Tribune.

3. Demands for Sheikh Hasina's extradition

Frustrations have also reached boiling point over the Indian government's decision to provide refuge to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina ever since she landed at a military air base near New Delhi on 5 August.

Calls have been growing over the last few weeks for Hasina to be extradited to Bangladesh to face as many as 89 murder cases levelled against her.

BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Saturday, 31 August, that if the Narendra Modi government decides to extradite Hasina, that decision would exemplify a new leaf in ties between New Delhi and Dhaka.

"Sheikh Hasina has to face the law of Bangladesh for all the crimes and corruption committed by her and her regime. To enable this and respect the sentiments of the people of Bangladesh, India should ensure her return to Bangladesh," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Similarly, Jatiya Party leader Muhammed Quader said that Hasina's decision to go to India has "worsened matters" and that the Indian government must "hand her over" to Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government on 22 August revoked the diplomatic passport of Hasina. Hence, the clock is ticking for New Delhi – which will have to make a choice between either siding with its traditional former partner Sheikh Hasina or laying the groundwork for renewed ties between India and a future Bangladeshi government, devoid of Hasina and her Awami League altogether.

"Sheikh Hasina's stay in India is a dilemma for the Indian government and a thorn in India-Bangladesh ties," ORF Associate Fellow Soumya Bhowmick told The Quint.

"There are two crucial aspects that will be impacted if the interim government stays for a long time and if Hasina continues to stay in India. Firstly, there are several infrastructural projects between the two countries, given Bangladesh's strategic location, and several upcoming projects as well. Those projects will be affected if India-Bangladesh ties are strained. Secondly, India and Bangladesh are part of several regional groupings. So, the bargaining power of the region as a whole for favourable economic terms will be impacted at these multilateral forums if diplomatic relations are not on a sure footing."

Soumya Bhowmick, ORF Associate Fellow

(*Names changed to protect identity.)