Months of escalating tension between India and Bangladesh have culminated in a heated exchange of accusations following the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh on sedition charges. This incident has raised alarms about the political state of the neighboring countries, which were previously on amicable terms.
The friction began in August, when Sheikh Hasina, a former ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was ousted from power during a popular uprising. After fleeing to India, her presence has become a point of concern for the Bangladesh interim government and has added strain to diplomatic relations. Led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, this caretaker administration suspects Hasina of orchestrating efforts to regain power from abroad.
The recent situation escalated after the detention of Krishna Das, who was accused of disrespecting the Bangladeshi flag during a rally advocating for Hindu rights in the predominantly Muslim country, where Hindus constitute less than 10% of a 170 million population. The court in Chattogram imposed pretrial detention on Das under a colonial-era sedition law following a local politician's complaint about his actions involving religious and national symbols.
The incident highlights the growing tensions as Bangladesh's interim government accuses India of exaggerating attacks against Hindus for domestic political gain, thrusting the once-friendly neighbors into deeper discord.
