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India will withdraw its diplomats’ families and dependents from Bangladesh due to heightened security concerns ahead of the February 12 general election, according to an Indian official on Wednesday. The campaigning for Bangladesh’s elections kicks off Thursday, amid protests and counter-protests.
The deteriorating relationship between India and Bangladesh worsened after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in 2024 following violent protests. The Indian official described the withdrawal as part of “internal readjustments” without providing further details. It’s unclear when the families will return to Bangladesh.
Requests for comment from the foreign ministries of India and Bangladesh went unanswered. In December, India summoned Bangladesh’s high commissioner to express alarm over the worsening security situation, especially threats targeting the Indian mission in Dhaka. Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has repeatedly sought Hasina’s extradition and dismissed India’s concerns about violence targeting the Hindu minority community.
Relations between the two nations have remained tense since the Awami League government of Sheikh Hasina was ousted following student-led protests in mid-2024. Recently, protests erupted over the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, a vocal critic of India and participant in the 2024 protests. His death triggered violence, with mobs torching buildings, including two major newspapers believed to favor India and a prominent cultural center. Bangladeshi police reported that the suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, exited Bangladesh through the Haluaghat border crossing into India.
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