India to ‘withdraw diplomats’ families’ from Bangladesh

• Decision made due to security threats ahead of Feb 12 polls.
• Campaigning for Bangladesh elections begins Thursday (tomorrow).
• New Delhi says withdrawal move part of “internal readjustments”.
  

NEW DELHI: India will withdraw its diplomats’ families and dependents from Bangladesh in the face of security threats as tension rises ahead of a February 12 general election, an Indian official said on Wednesday.

Campaigning begins on Thursday for Bangladesh’s election, which has sparked protests and counter-protests.

Ties between the South Asian neighbours soured after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in 2024, following deadly protests.

India’s withdrawal move was part of “internal readjustments”, the official said, without elaborating.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed to Indian media reports of New Delhi’s decision. It was not immediately clear when the families would return.

The foreign ministries of India and Bangladesh did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In December, India summoned Bangladesh’s high commissioner, or ambassador to voice its concern over what it called a deteriorating security situation there, particularly threats targeting the Indian mission in the capital, Dhaka.

The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has repeatedly sought Hasina’s extradition to Bangladesh, while rejecting New Delhi’s concerns over violence targeting members of the minority Hindu community.

Ties between Dhaka and New Delhi have remained strained since the Awami League government of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted following violent, student-led street protests in July and August 2024.

Recently, protests were held in Bangladesh over the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi who was a vocal Indian critic and took part in 2024’s uprising.

His death set off violent protests with angry mobs torching several buildings, including two major newspapers deemed to favour India, as well as a prominent cultural institution.

Bangladesh police said the alleged killers, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, left Bangladesh through the Haluaghat border with India.