India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to formally lodge a diplomatic protest over provocative anti-India statements made by National Citizen Party
(NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah.
Abdullah on Monday warned that Dhaka could shelter forces hostile to India, including separatist groups, and help sever India’s “seven sisters” – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. Abdullah made the remarks while addressing a gathering at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar.
“We will shelter separatist and anti-India forces and then we will sever the seven sisters from India,” Abdullah said, drawing loud cheers from sections of the audience. “I want to make it clear to India that if you provide shelter to forces that do not respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, potential, voting rights, and human rights, Bangladesh will respond.”
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Hasnat also remarked that even after 54 years of independence, Bangladesh continues to face attempts by ‘vultures’ seeking to exert control over the country, without mentioning New Delhi directly. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called the remarks “irresponsible and dangerous”, adding, “‘India is a very big country, a nuclear nation and the fourth largest economy of the world. How can Bangladesh even think about it?”
India has long accused militant and separatist groups operating in the Northeast of using Bangladesh as a sanctuary, transit route and logistics base, particularly during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Several insurgent outfits from Assam and Tripura maintained camps, safe houses, or support networks across the border during this period.
Beyond the Northeast, Bangladesh was also hosted Islamist extremist networks with links to India. Groups such as Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) and later Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were flagged by Indian agencies for their cross-border presence and for facilitating radicalisation and logistics networks affecting eastern India.
India Rebuffs Bangladesh’s Claims
This came days after India categorically rejected allegations made by Bangladesh’s Interim Government that anti-Bangladesh activities were being carried out from Indian territory, saying that New Delhi has consistently supported free, fair and inclusive elections in the neighbouring country and has never allowed its territory to be used for activities hostile to the interests of the Bangladeshi people.
Last week, NCP convenor Nahid Islam suggested, without evidence, that India and the Awami League may have been involved in the attempted assassination of NCP spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi. He said the Awami League was working in exile in India and was seeking to re-establish itself in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma, conveying Dhaka’s strong concerns over India allegedly allowing ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to continue making “provocative statements calling on leaders and activists to engage in terrorist activities” in Bangladesh from Indian soil. It further raised what it called “anti-Bangladesh activities” by Awami League members residing in India, alleging that they were attempting to destabilise Bangladesh and derail the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Bangladesh also demanded India to hand over the suspects behind Hadi’s assassination attempt if they had entered Indian territory. In response, the MEA said, “We have consistently reiterated our position in favour of free, fair, inclusive and credible elections being held in Bangladesh in a peaceful atmosphere. India has never allowed its territory to be used for activities inimical to the interests of the friendly people of Bangladesh.”
India–Bangladesh relations have been strained since the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, 2024, following student-led protests. Hasina fled to India after her ouster and has since been staying in a secret safe house in New Delhi.
