Government officials in Bangladesh demand the return of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India and a trial in Bangladesh. They accuse her of staying in power for years with assistance from India, silencing critics, and using tough laws like the Digital Security Act to suppress the people. Protesters argue that her actions damaged democracy and threatened the nation’s freedoms. The time she spent in India makes people think that she is being shielded from punishment. Moreover, now voices across the country are calling for her to return to account for what they say she has done to Bangladesh’s politics and its people.
Sheikh Hasina’s prolonged stay in India has raised suspicions among many people in Bangladesh. They think India is guiding her political plans. Before the 2018 elections, thousands of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) members were put in jail, and its main rival, Khaleda Zia, was kept out of politics. For many, these events reveal a plan to maintain power and prevent fair elections in the country.
Critics say India supported Sheikh Hasina’s crackdowns by quickly congratulating her after the elections, even though many claimed the election was unfair. To Bangladeshis, this appeared to be New Delhi protecting itself from global criticism. Hannah Ellis-Petersen of The Guardian wrote that India was seen as Hasina’s strongest ally, but now faces a new government demanding answers for her actions. The Guardian also noted that, during both her terms, 1996-2001 and after 2009, Hasina granted India significant influence through trade and security deals, opened waterways, and allowed profitable Indian business projects in Bangladesh, thereby deepening the sense of an unequal political partnership.
India has been accused of overlooking Sheikh Hasina’s growing authoritarianism and even intervening in Bangladesh’s politics to keep her in power, reportedly pressuring other nations to recognize her rule. International concern deepened after the OHCHR’s June 2022 review of her 2018 Digital Security Act, which, though presented as a cybercrime and national security law, was found to be widely used to silence critics, restrict free speech, and target political opponents, further eroding democratic space in Bangladesh.
Sanja Kapoor and Al Jazeera explained that Sheikh Hasina was greeted by India’s powerful security chief and head of RAW at an air force base last Tuesday after she landed near New Delhi. RAW has been accused for decades of meddling in the affairs of Bangladesh and other neighboring states. Public confidence in her leadership is at an all-time low, and a majority of Bangladeshis see her term in India not as a haven but rather as a problematic partnership with RAW, which they see as a ruinous project, more so for knocking their democratization prospects but also for raising fears of foreign hands over Bangladesh’s political future.
In the context of the geopolitical realities, it is indeed a testament to Bangladesh’s foreign Policy because no state can afford to strain its relations with its neighbor, which possesses relatively greater power and influence on the world stage. It is very natural for Bangladesh to maintain a good relations with India due to its Geographical proximity, which can ultimately foster trade and economic interest. However, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) show assertion in the internal affairs of Bangladesh in its foreign Policy, which undermines its sovereignty and autonomy. Such decisions are pivotal for Bangladesh to regain its lost autonomy.
Maintaining equilibrium in relations and foreign Policy is now very crucial for Dhaka. It will not be a rational move for Dhaka to intimidate New Delhi; however, time demands diplomatic effort and engagement with all regional players. Moreover, joint efforts are required for an enduring partnership. Moreover, no country is obliged according to international law to dictate the tenets of the internal affairs of another country. It is the diplomatic right of Bangladesh to demand the return of Sheikh Hasina and to deal with Justice.