Bangkok (TDI): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the head of Bangladesh’s interim government Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of a regional summit in Bangkok on Friday, their first meeting since the ouster of Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina last year.
Relations between the South Asian neighbours, which were robust under Hasina, have deteriorated since she fled the country in August 2024 in the face of massive student-led demonstrations and sought shelter in India.
Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who took over as the chief adviser of an interim government after Hasina’s exit, met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok.
BIMSTEC, or the Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, also includes Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka Myanmar and Bhutan.
Public opinion in Bangladesh turned against New Delhi, in part, for its decision to provide sanctuary to Hasina.
Read More: Bangladesh Asks India to Hand Over Hasina for ‘Judicial Process’
India has not responded to Bangladesh’s request to send her home for trial.
New Delhi has repeatedly urged Dhaka to protect its minority Hindus, saying they were being targeted in the Muslim-majority state since Yunus took charge. Dhaka argues the violence has been exaggerated and is not a communal issue.
Read More: Bangladesh mulls to ask India for Hasina’ extraction
With longstanding cultural and business relations, the two countries share a 4,000 kilometers (2,500 mile) border.
