India and Bangladesh Relations Strained as Elections Near and Sports Boycott Looms

A simmering dispute between India and Bangladesh has escalated into diplomatic protests and what officials and sports bodies describe as a near sports boycott between the neighbors, who share one of the world’s largest land borders. The rift widened after the 2024 overthrow of Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India; Bangladesh’s interim government and the protesters who ousted her have criticized New Delhi for refusing to hand her over to face justice.

New Delhi, in turn, has protested hostile statements from parties in Dhaka and incidents of violence against Bangladesh’s Hindu minority. India suspended visa operations in Chattogram after mobs targeted its mission there, and Bangladesh paused visa services for Indians after tense protests at its mission in New Delhi.

Protests in India from the Hindu right also prompted India’s national cricket body to bar a Bangladeshi player from the Indian Premier League; Bangladesh responded by saying it would not send its team to India next month for the cricket World Cup and asked the sport’s international governing board to move its matches to a neutral venue.

The Times reported that the crackdown before Hasina’s fall left around 1,400 people dead, and the International Crisis Group said India’s close alignment with her amplified anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh. Diplomatic efforts are complicated by domestic politics and imminent elections: Bangladesh has set parliamentary polls in February, and anger at India has become a campaign issue.

Key Topics

World, India, Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, Muhammad Yunus, Indian Premier League