North-easterners expect a post-poll peaceful Bangladesh

As Bangladesh is surrounded by India (leaving aside a few kilometers under Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal), any disturbance in the south Asian nation possesses the potential to negatively impact eastern India, precisely the north-eastern region. Currently the country of over 170 million people faces a relentless socio-political turmoil while preparing for the national election scheduled for 12 February 2026. Even though New Delhi continues emphasizing an inclusive election, that seemingly turns impossible at this moment, as the ousted premier Sheikh Hasina-led party Bangladesh Awami League has been prevented from participating in the electoral process by the Dr Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Dhaka.

After witnessing a turmoil for many days following the demise of a young radical leader Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, Bangladesh is gradually returning to normalcy even though anti-India rhetoric continues in the Muslim majority nation. The highly sought after polls planned after the unprecedented student-led mass uprising in July-August 2024, is expected to witness a favourable wave for the opposition parties, precisely the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former premier Khaleda Zia. BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who lately returned to Bangladesh after 17 years of self-imposed exile in London, and was accorded with a massive welcome in Dhaka, where millions of party workers and common Bangladeshi nationals poured to show their solidarity to Rahman, who happens to be the son of former head of the government Ziaur Rahman.

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The prime accused Faisal Karim Masud, who was associated with Chhatra League, the student wing of Awami League, continues to be traceless and a large section of Bangladeshi nationals believe with no justification that he was receiving support and hospitality from New Delhi. Thus the entire fury went against India and motivated elements stepped up activities targeting the Hindu families in different parts of Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the horrific mass killing of Deepu Chandra Das, 27, a garment worker in Bhaluka of Mymensingh locality by an angry mob alleging an unconfirmed derogatory remark against Islam on 18 December, and Uttam Kumar Barman, 45, a grocery shop owner of Rangpur locality with same allegation of blasphemy on 13 December made the situation more complex. The interim government firmly stated that the killing of the Mymensingh worker was a heinous criminal act with no justification. Recently, education adviser Prof CR Abrar visited the family of Deepu to convey the government’s sympathy and assurance of support during this difficult time. He reaffirmed the authority’s unwavering commitment to the rule of law and informed that over 10 people were arrested in connection with the crime.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma promptly reacted to those outbursts stating that the Union government would not remain silent if Bangladeshi leaders continued threatening to cut off the Chicken’s Neck corridor of around 22 km. Terming it a bad mindset, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader warned that it would be miserable for Bangladesh to pursue such a dream. The saffron chief minister reminded Bangladesh to ‘focus on its two vulnerable chicken’s necks’ (80 km stretch from south Dinajpur in West Bengal to west Garo hills in Meghalaya and 28 km patch from south Tripura to the Bay of Bengal) before threatening India.

Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council documented over 2,000 incidents of violence against the religious minorities during the current regime in Dhaka, which was also reflected in New Delhi’s official statements. India’s foreign ministry spokesperson recently observed that ‘unremitting hostility against minorities’ in Bangladesh, including Hindus, continues and it emerges as a matter of grave concern. New Delhi favours a peaceful and progressive Bangladesh after the polls, which is also reflected in the wish list of north-easterners while approaching the New Year.

(The writer is a Guwahati-based special representative of The Statesman)