The Awami League, once the ruling party in Dhaka, was banned after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in August 2024. Since then, she has been living in self-exile in New Delhi.
Bangladesh’s interim government on Wednesday claimed that the banned Awami League has opened offices in Indian cities. The administration, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, said this could harm relations between the two neighbours.
In a statement, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said reports of Awami League offices in New Delhi and Kolkata were “a risk to good-neighbourly ties.” It added that such activities could have “serious implications” for the political transformation underway in Bangladesh.
The Awami League, once the ruling party in Dhaka, was banned after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in August 2024. Since then, she has been living in self-exile in New Delhi.
India quickly rejected the accusations. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government “is not aware of any anti-Bangladesh activities by purported members of the Awami League in India or of any action that is contrary to Indian law.”
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He added that India does not permit “political activities against other countries to be carried out from Indian soil.”
Calling Dhaka’s claims “misplaced,” Jaiswal reminded that India has always supported “free, fair and inclusive elections” in Bangladesh.
The controversy highlights the growing tension between the two neighbours. Relations have been uneasy since Yunus’ interim administration came to power last year.
India has raised concerns about attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. New Delhi has also imposed trade restrictions on Bangladeshi exports through land borders, accusing Dhaka of creating non-tariff barriers.
For its part, Dhaka has accused New Delhi of sheltering senior Awami League leaders. The foreign ministry claimed that many of them are facing criminal charges in Bangladesh and are now “absconding in India.”
The Bangladesh government alleged that Awami League leaders in India had even planned to hold a “public outreach” at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on July 21.
It said such political activity by a banned party amounted to an “affront against the people and State of Bangladesh.” Dhaka urged India to take “immediate steps” to stop any “anti-Bangladesh activities.”
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Besides Hasina, several Awami League leaders are believed to be in self-exile in India. Many of them face multiple criminal cases at home.
Sheikh Hasina, who served as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister for several years, faces a string of serious charges.
In July, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to six months in prison for contempt of court. She has also been accused of crimes against humanity, enforced disappearances, and ordering a crackdown on protestors last year.
