India had to withdraw the dependents and family members of officials from its missions in Bangladesh because of the “deteriorating” law and order situation in the country, with Indian posts facing a sustained threat of mob attack for the past few months, according to Indian officials.

They emphasised that this is a “precautionary” measure, as tensions escalate ahead of the February 12 election. The withdrawal of dependents and families from missions in Bangladesh will not impact diplomatic and consular activities, officials told The Hindu.

“The decision to declare Dhaka as a ‘non-family’ station was a precautionary measure given the deteriorating security situation. Over the past few months, over two dozen protests have taken place in close proximity to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. Further, on 18th December, at the Assistant High Commission of India in Chittagong, protesters pelted stones on the premises,” an official source said, highlighting the heightened threats faced by Indian posts in Bangladesh since December 2025

Missions threatened

India-Bangladesh ties hit a new hurdle last month with the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, an Islamist youth leader who led the radical outfit July Mancho. After Mr. Hadi was shot on December 12, there were allegations that his murderers had fled to India. As the rumours and allegations spread online, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and Assistant High Commissions in Chittagong, Khulna, and Rajshahi faced threats. Tit-for-tat incidents were also reported from Agartala, Kolkata, and New Delhi, where protesters raised slogans outside the Bangladesh High Commission during the same time.

Officials here said the safety concerns raised by Dhaka regarding Bangladesh’s missons in India in December had been addressed adequately, noting that India continues to maintain a “heightened police presence” on the road leading to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi’s diplomatic enclave.

India is continuously tracking developments inside Bangladesh, officials said, with tensions expected to escalate as the Awami League led by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which is banned in Bangladesh, has restarted its activities from Indian soil. A major press interaction was organised by Awami League leaders on January 17 and a similar media engagement is expected to take place in New Delhi later this week.

Bangladesh on Sunday (December 21, 2025) “entirely” rejected India’s comments over “Hindu extremists” demonstration in front of its high commission in New Delhi, questioning how the protesters were allowed to come so close to the installation in a secured diplomatic enclave.

Interim government’s foreign affairs adviser M. Touhid Hossain’s comments came hours after India trashed as “misleading propaganda” reports in Bangladesh media that a demonstration outside its mission in New Delhi against the killing of a Hindu man in Mymensingh attempted to create a security situation.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said about 20-25 youths gathered in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Saturday, raised slogans protesting the “horrendous killing” of Dipu Chandra Das, 25, who was lynched to death by a mob in Mymensingh on Thursday (December 18).

The protesters also called for the protection of all minorities in Bangladesh, the MEA said.

“Regarding the Indian press note, we completely reject it, entirely reject it. The issue has been presented as if it were very simple, whereas in reality it is not,” State-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) quoted Mr. Hossain as saying at the media briefing.

He questioned how a group of 25 to 30 people, “described as belonging to a Hindu extremist organisation, could reach such a sensitive zone,” adding under normal circumstances this should not have been possible “unless they were allowed the access.”

Mr. Hossain also called the MEA statement “oversimplified” saying “they (India) say it may have been 20–25 people, but that is not the point.”

He also said the protesters also did not merely raise slogans over the killing of a Bangladeshi Hindu citizen but made “other statements as well,” and claimed that reports published in Bangladeshi newspapers were largely accurate and not misleading.

Asked if he had any concrete proof about death threats to the Bangladesh envoy in Delhi as speculated, the adviser said no.

Mr. Hossain said Bangladesh was “compelled” to respond openly following the Indian press note but added that both sides remain in contact through diplomatic channels and convey their positions accordingly.

Dhaka still trusted India to take appropriate security measures, but would consider scaling back its presence if the situation deteriorates, he added.