India Summons Bangladesh Envoy Over Dhaka Security Threat
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Dhaka
- Dec 17, 2025
- 568
The Indian government on Wednesday summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, following a reported security threat to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. New Delhi has formally conveyed its strong objection to the Bangladesh government over the matter, treating it as a serious security concern. However, Indian authorities have not yet disclosed the specific nature or source of the threat.
Amid heightened tensions, the Indian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka was shut from 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The closure came ahead of a planned march to the Indian High Commission by a group calling itself “July Oikya” (July Unity), which had announced that the protest would begin at 3 p.m.
Indian officials feared that the march could draw a large crowd to the diplomatic premises, potentially triggering a law-and-order situation and posing risks to the security of Indian personnel and property.
Bangladesh police stopped the protesters nearly a kilometre before the Indian High Commission in Dhaka’s Gulshan area by erecting barricades. When demonstrators attempted to breach the barriers, security forces reinforced the blockade. The protesters eventually staged a sit-in on the road, chanting slogans and delivering speeches over loudspeakers. Their primary demand was the return of ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other individuals who fled to India during and after the July unrest.
Since August 5, 2024, more than ten such long marches toward the Indian High Commission have been organised by the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and allied groups.
Tensions escalated further after National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah issued a stark warning at a rally in Dhaka earlier this week. Without directly naming India, Abdullah accused New Delhi of sheltering individuals he claimed were destabilising Bangladesh. He warned that, in retaliation, Bangladesh could provide sanctuary to separatist forces in India’s northeastern region, often referred to as the “Seven Sisters,” and seek to sever those states from India. His remarks drew applause from sections of the crowd.
The rally followed last week’s shooting of Sharif Osman Hadi, a hardline leader of the Islamist Inquilab Mancha, who was critically injured in Dhaka on December 12 when assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on him. Hadi, an independent candidate and spokesman for the group, had reportedly shared a map of a “Greater Bangladesh” shortly before the attack, depicting parts of India’s Northeast as Bangladeshi territory.
Anti-India sentiment has intensified since the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August 2024. The 78-year-old former prime minister fled to India following a coup and has remained there since. Last month, a special tribunal in Bangladesh convicted her in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to death. Dhaka has repeatedly sought her extradition, a demand India has rejected.
Earlier this month, Bangladesh summoned Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pranay Verma, to protest statements made by Sheikh Hasina from Indian soil. In an official statement, Bangladesh accused New Delhi of allowing an absconding accused to issue inflammatory remarks that allegedly incite violence and attempt to influence the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
Bangladesh is scheduled to hold general elections on February 12 next year, as announced by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasiruddin. The polls will take place nearly 18 months after the coup that ousted Hasina. Since then, the country has been governed by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League has been barred from contesting the elections. The Election Commission suspended the party’s registration in May 2025, and several senior leaders have since been arrested. The party is also prohibited from engaging in political activities.
As the elections approach, the National Citizen Party—formed in February this year and led by student activists who spearheaded last year’s anti-Hasina protests—has emerged as a key political force. The NCP has formed a new alliance called the Republican Culture Alliance, alongside the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, a breakaway faction of Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Rastra Sanskriti Andolan.
The NCP has released its first list of 125 candidates, with prominent leader Nahid Islam contesting from Dhaka-11. Notably, the list includes 14 women candidates—the highest representation among all parties so far.