Sheikh Hasina’s downfall on 5 August 2024 was a chronicle foretold by all, except New Delhi’s ‘state operators’ who continued with their domineering agenda. A hastily put together interim government under Muhammad Yunus as ‘Chief Advisor’ worsened matters and a ‘reign of terror’ followed in Bangladesh.

As many as 400 police stations were torched. AI-assisted search results indicate ‘over 600 deaths from mob lynching, 250 from retributive violence and 40 extrajudicial killings since August 2024’. While there were a few Hindus among them, the overwhelming majority of victims were Muslims and Awami League supporters.

Patient diplomacy in this period could have paid India better dividends than outrage. India’s self-righteous wrath conveniently overlooked the fact that minority-bashing is an encouraged national pastime: in the last decade, more than 100 Muslims have been lynched in India (with 25 Muslims killed by mob violence in 2025 alone). The anti-Bangla fury that swept India was led by a largely tutored media.

The ruling Hindu Right’s irresponsibility was evident on social media, where hate was whipped up not only against Bangladesh and Bangladeshi Muslims, but also against Bangla-speaking citizens long domiciled in India. In Bangladesh, the death of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi on 18 December 2025 (six days after he was shot by two bike-borne assailants) reignited a fresh wave of anti-India sentiment.

It is a fact that the violence of 1947 triggered the exodus of Hindus from Bangladesh to India (Bangladeshi Hindus went down from 28 per cent to just 8 per cent of the population). It is also a fact that many Hindus (and Bengali Muslims) migrated seeking better economic opportunities.

Many Bangladeshi Muslims harbour a legitimate historical grievance against the Bengali Hindu bhadralok who, during two centuries of British rule, benefited disproportionately from........

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