India has underscored the importance of a smooth and democratic transition in Bangladesh, reiterating its call for free, fair, and inclusive elections amid deep political turmoil following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government last year.
At a regular press briefing in New Delhi on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about developments in Bangladesh, including the victory of Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS)—the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami—in the Dhaka University Students Union elections.
While declining to comment directly on the campus-level vote, Jaiswal stressed India’s consistent position on Bangladesh’s parliamentary polls, due early next year.
“On the parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in February of next year, we have repeatedly underlined our expectation of a smooth and peaceful democratic transition through free, fair, credible and inclusive elections in the country,” Jaiswal said.
The MEA statement highlights India’s careful balancing act: publicly neutral, yet closely watching developments in a neighbor where political upheaval and religious extremism have altered the landscape.
ICS resurgence raises alarms
The rise of ICS has shocked many in Bangladesh. For the first time since independence in 1971, the Islamist student group secured victory in Dhaka University elections. ICS played a leading role in the violent uprising that ousted Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 and has long been linked to political militancy. A 2013 study identified it as the third most active non-state armed group in the country.
Observers see ICS’s resurgence not just as a student victory but as evidence of how Islamist forces are reasserting themselves under the interim authority led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Many allege that the very groups accused of orchestrating deadly street violence are now being legitimized through electoral platforms.
Elections under Yunus government
Earlier this month, Yunus’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam confirmed that Bangladesh’s general elections will be held by February 15, 2026. Addressing reporters in Magura district, he insisted the schedule would not change despite disputes among parties.
“There is no possibility of postponing the election. Any ill attempt to disrupt this process will not succeed,” Alam warned, describing the polls as a decisive moment that would shape both governance and the political system of Bangladesh.
Yet skepticism persists. The Awami League, now banned under interim decrees, argues that an election overseen by Yunus and influenced by Islamist groups cannot be free or inclusive. Party leaders and activists continue to face persecution, with reports of custodial deaths, mob attacks, and widespread targeting of minorities since the 2024 upheaval.
Rights monitors, including Ain O Salish Kendra, recorded more than 300 deaths in just the first four days after Hasina’s ouster, while minority councils documented over 2,000 incidents of violence in August 2024 alone. Among the most harrowing incidents was the killing of Haradhan Roy, Rangpur’s only Hindu city councilor, whose body was dragged through the streets and publicly displayed hanging upside down.
Regional stakes
For India, stability in Bangladesh is not only a diplomatic concern but a regional imperative. Political instability and the rise of Islamist factions threaten bilateral cooperation on security, trade, and migration. New Delhi’s statement reflects its preference for an orderly process, but the ground reality remains fraught with uncertainty.
With the February 2026 deadline approaching, Bangladesh stands at a crossroads. The credibility of the elections will determine whether the country moves toward democratic recovery or deeper fragmentation. For the Awami League and its supporters, the current trajectory reflects not a transition but an erosion of the institutions and pluralist ideals the party fought to establish.
