Bangladesh In Turmoil: India Shows Restraint
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2025-12-27 05:37:51
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
With the lynching of another Hindu man in Mymensingh in Bangladesh, it is now clear that mob rule has taken over and the administration is a mute spectator. Before this, there were systematic attacks on Hindu temples and property of Hindus. Hindu worker Dipu Chandra Das was lynched and his body set on fire in the same district by a mob that accused him of blasphemy. But that was just an excuse to murder an innocent man by mobs that have been instigated by anti-India and anti Hindu inflammatory speeches by the current protest leaders in the neighbouring nation. The Bangladesh government deplores these incidents but does little else to dissuade the mobs from carrying out such heinous acts.
This is absolutely not acceptable and if it becomes a pattern, like renowned author Tasleema Nasreen has said it is becoming, it will be a dangerous thing that will riase temperatures in India. Although India has shown commendable restraint, it will have to act if the situation gets worse. The Mohammed Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh has lost all control over the Islamists, who have turned into frenzied mobs that not only attack Hindus but are also against un-Islamic practices like musics and concerts. On Friday, a mob stormed a school where renowned Bangladeshi singer James was to perform and forced the cancellation of the concert.
Although elections have been announced, India has said they have to be fair to have any meaning. With Sk Hasina's Awami League banned, this is not likely to be the case. Despite popular uprising against her government in 2024 and her subsequent flight to India, Hasina retains a good degree of support in Bangladesh. Even US lawmakers have raised their voice against the ban on Awami League.
Meanwhile, Khaelda Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, returned to Bangladesh from self-imposed exile in London. He immedately got into campaign mode and said that the country was liberated twice, once in 1971 from Pakistan's oppresive rule and then again in 2024 from Sk Hasina's corrupt government. It is clear that in the absence of Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Rahman is the frontrunner in the elections.
Although Rahman talks about an inclusive society with equal rights for all minorities, it is difficult to say if that will be acceptable to the Islamists. Without their support, his government, if he is able to form it, is unlikely to last long. Given the BNPs past antagonism towards India, it is also unlikely that relations between the two countries will improve. India will have to keep a keen eye on developments in the country and act to protect the life and property of the persecuted minorities there.
