NEW DELHI (AP) — Protests erupted in India’s capital Tuesday in response to the death of a Hindu man who was lynched and burned by an angry mob in neighboring Bangladesh, a fresh sign of strained relations between the neighboring countries.
The protests in New Delhi, led by the predominantly Hindu nationalist organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad, highlight the fraying relationship between India and Bangladesh, often seen as a rare example of stability in South Asia.
Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi died in a hospital in Singapore on Thursday after being shot in Dhaka on December 12. Police in Bangladesh have identified the suspect and said the shooter may have fled to India.
Widespread violence broke out in Dhaka after Hadi’s death. The offices of two national dailies were set on fire and the Indian diplomatic mission was targeted. A Hindu man was also burned alive, protesting in India on Tuesday.
Hundreds of protesters gathered near the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday, chanting slogans and accusing Bangladeshi groups of unfairly targeting minorities. They carried placards and banners with slogans such as ‘India will not tolerate torture of Hindus in Bangladesh’ and ‘Don’t take our silence as weakness, we are lions’.
Authorities erected barricades and tightened security around the diplomatic enclave that included police and armored vehicles. Security personnel used batons to stop some of the protesters from breaking through the barricades trying to enter the embassy.
An Indian protester, Rajkumar Jindal, threatened “serious consequences” if Bangladeshi authorities failed to stop violence against Hindus.
“Those who are committing atrocities must stop doing so. We are here to wake up the sleeping people,” Jindal said.
Hadi participated in the 2024 political coup that ended the 15-year rule of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh on 5 August 2024 and is in exile. He has been a staunch critic of India and Hasina and plans to run as an independent candidate in a key constituency in Dhaka in the next national election in February.
Hadi’s death sparked a fresh diplomatic spat with India and prompted New Delhi to recall Bangladesh’s ambassador this week.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry has also summoned Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma to brief him on the security situation in Bangladesh missions in New Delhi and state capitals Kolkata and Agartala, a leading Bengali-language newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Tensions between India and Bangladesh have risen again after the death of 25-year-old Hindu youth Dipuchandra Das, who was publicly burnt alive in Baluk Upazila of Mymensingh district on Thursday.
The killing of Das contributed to a pattern of fear in the Hindu community in Bangladesh after Hasina’s ouster.
Religious minority groups, including Hindus and Christians, have accused Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohammad Yunus, of failing to protect Hindus and others. The Yunus administration has denied the allegation.
Tuesday’s protests could complicate cooperation on trade, border management and regional connectivity at a time when the region is already reeling from economic uncertainty and political polarization, said Sriram Sundar Chaulia, an international affairs expert at New Delhi’s Jindal School of International Affairs.
“Indian machinations against India and alleging interference in Bangladesh are done to harden a distinctly Islamist and non-inclusive path for the country,” Chaulia said.
The disruption is a blow to India’s broader regional strategy, while the loss of India’s development aid and market for Bangladesh could further overwhelm the country’s sluggish economy and push it further into dependence on China, Chaulia said.
Bangladesh and India have enjoyed warm relations since Hasina came to power in 2009 and until her ouster. Hasina was regarded as a friend by India and bilateral cooperation between the two countries flourished. But Hasina’s opponents accuse her administration of being beholden to India, a major trade and investment partner.
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Alam reported from Dhaka.
