India’s Bangladesh dilemma: Why Parliamentary panel is invoking 1971 in its assessment of Dhaka

Sharif Osman Hadi, leader of the radical group Inquilab Mancha, has died after being shot by unidentified assailants in Dhaka on December 12

India is facing a diplomatic challenge with widespread unrest in Bangladesh following the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was shot last week and died in Singapore.

According to a report by a Parliamentary panel, developments in Bangladesh pose the “greatest strategic challenge” to India since the Liberation War of 1971.

The report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor, covered the India-Bangladesh relation of the past two years and said that Bangladesh is witnessing a “shift” and that New Delhi could end up losing the “strategic space” in Dhaka without necessary recalibration.

“The collapse of the Awami League dominance, the surge of youth-led nationalism, the re-entry of Islamists, and intensifying Chinese and Pakistani influence collectively marked a turning point,” said the report.

With Sheikh Hasina in exile in India and Bangladesh’s interim government strengthening ties with China, Delhi-Dhaka relations have been severely impacted.

Giving refuge to Hasina has been a major issue between India and Bangladesh. The matter has come up repeatedly since Hasina was given a death sentence on November 17.

India's role in Liberation War of 1971

In 1971, West and East Pakistan fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War. This led to the creation of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971.

Following Sheikh Mujib’s declaration of independence for East Pakistan, West Pakistan launched a brutal crackdown on Bengalis. Operation Searchlight, initiated by West Pakistan on March 25, 1971, is one of the most horrific state-run military operations in history. According to various ireports, including the Russian newspaper Pravda, approximately 3 million East Pakistanis were murdered by Pakistani troops and supporting militias.

This compelled millions of Bangladeshis to flee to India. By May 1971, India was hosting 1.5 million refugees. The number swelled to around 10 million by December 1971.

India’s entry into the 1971 war was driven by the humanitarian crisis and direct threats to its national security. Through a series of strategic offensives, the joint forces of India and Bangladesh rapidly overran West Pakistan’s military presence throughout Dhaka and East Pakistan.

On December 16, 1971, Lieutenant General AAK. Niazi of Pakistan unconditionally surrendered to Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora of India, along with 93,000 troops. The war officially ended with India’s unilateral ceasefire on December 17.

How is the present crisis related to India?

Some reports claimed that the men behind Hadi’s shootings were Indians or had escaped with Indian help.

In a post on Facebook, Qatar-based journalist Zulkarnain Saer claimed that one of the attackers was a former leader of the banned Chhatra League — the student wing of the Awami League — and that the suspects had fled to Guwahati, Assam.

Saer alleged that Faisal Karim Masud, also known as Daud Khan, crossed the Haluaghat border into India on December 12 and shared selfies from Guwahati using an Indian phone number.

According to a report by Prothom Alo, police have identified three suspects, all allegedly linked to Awami League–associated organisations.

Protesters in Dhaka and other cities raised slogans accusing India of sheltering Hadi’s attackers and demanded their immediate extradition. They called on the interim government to take drastic steps, including shutting down the Indian High Commission in Dhaka until the suspects were returned.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma, urging India to arrest and hand over the suspects if they had entered Indian territory.

New Delhi, however, strongly rejected the allegations that the attackers had any connection with India.