Recent tensions between Bangladesh and India have taken a turn for the worse. Over the past two weeks, the two South Asian neighbours have made a routine of summoning each other’s envoys to convey messages of mutual concern.
While diplomats remained busy responding to these summons in the corridors of Topkhana and Chanakyapuri, their respective missions in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Delhi, Kolkata, and Siliguri witnessed violent protests, with slogan-chanting demonstrators attempting to breach security guaranteed under the Vienna Convention.
Given the shared history and heritage between Bangladesh and India, neither country should allow tensions to escalate further. Any further deterioration would only undermine the interests of both economies and their peoples, whose destinies are intertwined in numerous ways.
India is Bangladesh’s largest trade partner in South Asia and the second-largest in Asia, while Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia and a significant export destination.
Bilateral trade recorded a marked surge even during the August 2024 to August 2025 period, when the two countries experienced one of the most turbulent phases in their diplomatic relations since 1971. Delhi had to struggle to come to terms with Dhaka following the Monsoon Revolution in Bangladesh, which saw Sheikh Hasina depart and take refuge in India.
Geographically, Bangladesh and India share one of the longest land borders between any two countries in the world. India surrounds Bangladesh on three sides, while seven of India’s northeastern states are so closely connected to Bangladeshi territory that, without the rail, road, and inland water transit facilities Bangladesh has provided in recent years, people in the region would be forced to take lengthy detours to travel within their own country.
An overwhelming majority of West Bengal’s population, along with many people in Assam and Tripura, speak Bangla — Bangladesh’s official language. Cultural bonds are deep-rooted and undeniable. People-to-people connections are natural and free-flowing.
Unfortunately, people in both countries are often held hostage to the venom spread by a section of politicians, religious bigots, and extremists seeking to advance their brand of rogue politics by manufacturing artificial animosity. They spread toxic narratives that portray each other as enemies or villains.
Thankfully, the majority of people in both Bangladesh and India do not subscribe to such narratives rooted in misplaced hatred and negativity.
However, this majority has little control over an environment often vitiated by a small and extremely vocal group of short-sighted politicians, religious bigots, and right-wing extremists.
De-escalation, therefore, is the need of the hour.
Unless collective conscience on both sides asserts itself to calm the situation, antisocial elements and enemies of both countries will attempt to exploit the volatility.
Hollow slogans — such as threats implying retaliation against India in the event of an attack on Bangladesh — from quarters in third countries do nothing to promote peace in South Asia. It must be remembered that the wider South Asian region is home to three nuclear powers: China, Pakistan, and India.
As overt displays of hostility are allowed to unfold around Indian diplomatic missions in Bangladesh and Bangladeshi missions in India, other power players may not remain silent — an outcome that would serve neither Dhaka’s nor Delhi’s interests.
Major powers outside South Asia are already showing interest in the escalating tensions. Ordinary citizens in both countries would least want external actors meddling in their affairs.
It is common knowledge that the Indian administration’s past interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs, including national elections, has fuelled anti-India sentiment.
It is also widely known that India has, for months, pushed many of its own citizens into Bangladesh merely because they speak Bangla — a deeply troubling practice.
Equally unfortunate is India’s tendency to amplify isolated incidents of violence — particularly when the victim is Hindu — in order to project a generalized narrative of minority persecution in Bangladesh.
This grossly misrepresents the deep-rooted tradition of religious tolerance in Bangladeshi society.
Bangladesh, as a state and as a people, has never pointed fingers at India over its treatment of minority groups. We consistently condemn any act of violence or injustice against minorities — whether in Bangladesh or India — without portraying such incidents as the defining norm of any society.
Both Bangladesh and India must acknowledge that sporadic incidents of violence affecting minority communities do occur, and both governments must do everything within their capacity to prevent recurrence.
Such incidents, however, should never be misused as pretexts to label a country as an oppressor of minorities. In many cases, these acts reflect failures in law and order rather than systemic persecution.
Suspending consular services or disrupting normal trade and investment flows would hurt both economies. Such an environment would reduce people-to-people contact, communication, and the movement of goods and labour, while deepening mistrust.
It is time for the political leadership of both countries to act decisively to de-escalate tensions, rebuild trust, and pursue constructive diplomatic engagement with open minds.
Statesmanship is required from both sides. Leaders who matter most must remain calm and engaged, regardless of the disruptions caused by fringe protest groups near diplomatic missions in Dhaka or Delhi.
De-escalation demands a calm, empathetic, and non-confrontational approach — one that prioritizes listening, mutual understanding, and common ground.
The immediate goal should be to reduce emotional intensity and prevent hostility, rather than to score points or resolve every underlying issue at once.
Reaz Ahmad is Editor, Dhaka Tribune.
