Bangladesh summons Indian envoy over Himanta Sarma's 'infiltrators' remarks
What's the story
The Bangladesh government has summoned the acting Indian High Commissioner, Pawan Badhe, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The move comes after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's recent comments on repatriating "infiltrators from Assam." The diplomatic protest was lodged on Thursday afternoon, where Bangladeshi officials expressed their concerns over Sarma's remarks and stressed the need to "avoid comments that might hurt bilateral ties." Bangladesh described the remarks as "disparaging."
Tense relations
Sarma's post on X
On April 26, Sarma had said that 20 foreign nationals were apprehended in Assam and "pushed back to Bangladesh." He wrote on social media platform X, "Rude people don't understand soft language. We continuously remind ourselves of this prophetic line when we expel infiltrators from Assam who don't leave themselves. For instance, these 20 illegal Bangladeshis who were PUSHED BACK last night."
Diplomatic criticism
Bangladesh calls for restraint in addressing sensitive issues
Bangladesh has called such public statements "counterproductive" and potentially harmful to bilateral relations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the need for "exercising restraint when addressing sensitive bilateral issues." These developments come at a time when India-Bangladesh relations are undergoing a strategic recalibration in 2026, following political changes in Dhaka after the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the election of Tarique Rahman.