In December 2025, a brutal murder in broad daylight sparked a major crisis in Bangladesh-India relations.

Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old political activist, was shot in the head as he left a mosque in Dhaka. The suspected killers are two members of the Awami League, Bangladesh’s former ruling party that was ousted in August 2024 amid a mass uprising. Hadi had played a leading role in the 2024 movement.

He was also famous for his anti-India politics. And after his death, a rumor spread like wildfire that his killers had fled to India. The reaction in Bangladesh was explosive – and violent.

Clearly, Bangladesh-India relations are a tinderbox – and there are plenty of potential sparks that could light a dangerous flame: perceptions of India meddling in Bangladesh’s politics, attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, border policies, and even cricket. Amid the constant eruptions of public anger, it’s hard to remember that, not long ago, Bangladesh was one of India’s closest partners.

So what happened?

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster from power in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, by student-led mass protests, dramatically changed not only the country’s domestic politics but also its relations with neighboring India. Bangladesh-India ties, which had been strong during Hasina’s rule, began to unravel. Simmering anti-India sentiment erupted – sometimes violently. And in the 18 months since Hasina’s fall, Delhi-Dhaka relations have gone from bad to worse.

In this episode of Diplomat Asia, we trace everything that’s gone wrong in Bangladesh-India relations since the 2024 uprising – and it’s a lot. But there may be some hope in sight, however small. With a new elected government installed in Dhaka, can India and Bangladesh put their derailed bilateral relations back on track?