New Delhi: Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has accused India of straining bilateral relations by hosting former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, marking a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two neighbors.

Yunus claimed that India was unhappy with last year’s student-led protests in Bangladesh and has taken a confrontational stance since then. He alleged that New Delhi’s decision to shelter Hasina, who is in exile, amounts to interference in Bangladesh’s domestic politics and has deepened mistrust.

The remarks come amid a series of trade and transit disruptions. Earlier this year, India withdrew the transshipment facility that allowed Bangladeshi goods to move through Indian ports, raising transport costs for Dhaka. New Delhi has also limited imports from Bangladesh worth about 770 million dollars and reduced the number of medical visas issued to Bangladeshi citizens, moves seen by Dhaka as diplomatic snubs.

Yunus has also accused sections of the Indian media of spreading misinformation by portraying Bangladesh’s protests as Islamist-driven. He warned that such narratives damage bilateral understanding and fuel tensions.

At the same time, the Bangladeshi leadership is pushing for the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a forum that has remained largely dormant due to India-Pakistan disputes. Dhaka is also seeking closer ties with external partners, including ASEAN and the United States, signaling a possible shift away from its traditional reliance on New Delhi.

Despite the growing rift, both sides have kept channels of communication open. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yunus held talks earlier this year on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit, while Indian officials have engaged in back-channel diplomacy with Dhaka.

However, the dispute over Hasina’s stay in India and New Delhi’s recent trade restrictions suggest that tensions may continue to overshadow cooperation in the months ahead.