‘Unaware of Any Such Activities’: India Rejects Dhaka’s Charge on Awami League Workers
India on Wednesday firmly rejected allegations from Bangladesh’s Interim Government that members of the Awami League were carrying out anti-Bangladesh activities from Indian soil. In a strongly worded statement, New Delhi called the claims “misplaced” and asserted that it does not permit its territory to be used for political activities against other countries, pushing back against Dhaka’s demand to shut down purported party offices.
The diplomatic spat centers on the Awami League, the party of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in exile in India since her government was toppled by student-led protests that were later hijacked by Islamists last year. Responding to the claims, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that New Delhi was “not aware of any anti-Bangladesh activities by purported members of the Awami League in India or of any action that is contrary to Indian law.” He added, “The Government does not allow political activities against other countries to be carried out from Indian soil.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Bangladesh foreign ministry, without providing any evidence, had issued a statement alleging that Awami League offices were operating in New Delhi and Kolkata. It claimed that such activities by “absconding leaders/activists of a banned political party” were an “unambiguous affront against the people and State of Bangladesh” and urged India to take immediate steps to close them.
The allegations from Dhaka come against a historical backdrop where Bangladesh itself has repeatedly been accused of harboring elements hostile to India. For years, particularly until the early 2000s, various separatist militant groups from India’s Northeast reportedly operated training camps and safe houses within Bangladeshi territory, often with the tacit support of local networks. Furthermore, in the past decade, Dhaka has faced allegations of providing safe havens to Islamist outfits like Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), which has been linked to terror plots in India.
The current tensions were also fueled by a provocative social media post in May 2025 by a retired Bangladeshi Major General, who suggested that Bangladesh, with Chinese support, should occupy India’s northeastern states in the event of an India-Pakistan conflict.
