India–Bangladesh Relations

India–Bangladesh Relations

• India and Bangladesh share a deeply interconnected relationship shaped by geography, history, culture, language, security and economic interdependence.
• India and Bangladesh share a 4,096.7 km land boundary, India’s longest international land border with any neighbouring country.
• Bangladesh shares its border with five Indian states:
  
  • West Bengal
  • Assam
  • Meghalaya
  • Tripura
  • Mizoram.
• India was the first country to recognise Bangladesh as an independent state in December 1971.
• The relationship is based on:
  
  • Shared history of the 1971 Liberation War
  • Bengali linguistic and cultural heritage
  • Economic interdependence
  • Connectivity
  • Shared rivers
  • Security cooperation
  • Extensive people-to-people relations.
• Rabindranath Tagore wrote the national anthems of both countries:
  
  • Jana Gana Mana — India
  • Amar Sonar Bangla — Bangladesh.
• Both countries cooperate through regional and international platforms such as:
  
  • BIMSTEC
  • SAARC
  • IORA
  • Commonwealth
  • BBIN.
• Since the political transition in Bangladesh in 2024, however, the bilateral relationship has entered a more uncertain and politically sensitive phase.

Evolution of India–Bangladesh Relations

Liberation and Friendship Phase: 1971–1975

• India played a decisive role in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.
• India:
  
  • Sheltered nearly 10 million refugees
  • Provided diplomatic and humanitarian assistance
  • Supported the Mukti Bahini
  • Militarily intervened in December 1971.
• Pakistan surrendered on 16 December 1971, leading to the emergence of Bangladesh.
• India and Bangladesh established diplomatic relations immediately after independence.
• The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace, 1972 provided an institutional foundation for bilateral cooperation.
• Relations were particularly close under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Period of Estrangement: 1975–1990

• Relations deteriorated after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.
• Military regimes under:
  
  • Ziaur Rahman
  • H.M. Ershad
    sought closer relations with:
  • China
  • Pakistan
  • Islamic countries.
• Major bilateral concerns included:
  
  • Farakka/Ganga water dispute
  • Border tensions
  • Illegal migration
  • Support to insurgent groups operating against India
  • Growing anti-India nationalism.

Democratic Flux: 1991–2008

• Restoration of parliamentary democracy created alternating phases of cooperation and tension.
• Relations generally improved under the Awami League, while periods of greater friction occurred under the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
• A landmark achievement was the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty of 1996.
• However, problems relating to:
  
  • Illegal migration
  • Border management
  • Insurgency
  • Water sharing
    continued.

Strategic Partnership Phase: 2009–2024

• Relations improved dramatically during Sheikh Hasina’s government.
• This period witnessed unprecedented cooperation in:
  
  • Counter-terrorism
  • Connectivity
  • Border management
  • Trade
  • Energy
  • Development partnership.
• Bangladesh acted against several anti-India insurgent organisations operating from its territory.
• Major achievements included:
  
  • Land Boundary Agreement, 2015
  • Maritime boundary settlement
  • Revival of pre-1965 rail links
  • Cross-border electricity trade
  • Use of Chattogram and Mongla ports
  • India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline
  • Akhaura-Agartala railway.

Political Transition and Strategic Uncertainty: 2024–Present

• The political upheaval in Bangladesh in 2024 ended the long period of strategic stability associated with the Sheikh Hasina government.
• Bilateral relations subsequently became more complicated because of:
  
  • Political mistrust
  • Anti-India narratives within sections of Bangladesh
  • Concerns regarding minorities
  • Trade restrictions
  • Border tensions
  • Bangladesh’s closer engagement with China and Pakistan.
• At the same time, the two countries remain structurally interdependent, particularly in:
  
  • Trade
  • Energy
  • Connectivity
  • Border management.
• Therefore, the present phase can be described as one of strategic recalibration rather than complete disengagement.

Major Areas of Cooperation

Political Cooperation

• India regards Bangladesh as an important pillar of its:
  
  • Neighbourhood First Policy
  • Act East Policy
  • SAGAR/MAHASAGAR vision
  • BIMSTEC engagement.
• Bangladesh is equally dependent on stable relations with India for:
  
  • Trade
  • Transit
  • Electricity
  • Regional connectivity.
• Regular institutional mechanisms have historically included:
  
  • Foreign Office Consultations
  • Joint Consultative Commission
  • Home Secretary-level talks
  • Joint Rivers Commission
  • Border coordination mechanisms.

Security and Border Management

• Security cooperation became one of the major successes of bilateral relations after 2009.
• Bangladesh acted against several Northeast Indian insurgent groups using its territory.
• A Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) was signed in 2011.
• Cooperation between:
  
  • Border Security Force (BSF)
  • Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
    is important for tackling:
  • Smuggling
  • Human trafficking
  • Drug trafficking
  • Illegal movement
  • Organised crime.
• India and Bangladesh also conduct maritime cooperation, including Coordinated Patrols (CORPAT) between their navies.

Land Boundary Agreement

• Partition created an extremely complicated India-East Pakistan boundary involving:
  
  • Enclaves
  • Adverse possessions
  • Undemarcated stretches.
• The 1974 Land Boundary Agreement attempted to resolve these issues.
• A supplementary protocol was signed in 2011.

Land Boundary Agreement, 2015

• The 2015 Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) finally resolved the long-standing enclave problem.
• Under the agreement:
  
  • 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh were transferred to Bangladesh.
  • 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India were transferred to India.
• Residents were given citizenship options.
• The agreement:
  
  • Resolved a major humanitarian problem
  • Simplified border administration
  • Improved security
  • Demonstrated India’s ability to resolve territorial disputes peacefully.

Maritime Boundary Settlement

• India and Bangladesh had competing claims in the Bay of Bengal.
• The maritime dispute was resolved through international arbitration in 2014 under UNCLOS mechanisms.
• India accepted the award despite Bangladesh receiving a substantial portion of the disputed maritime area.
• The settlement:
  
  • Reduced bilateral tensions
  • Facilitated offshore resource exploration
  • Strengthened Blue Economy cooperation
  • Demonstrated India’s support for a rules-based maritime order.

River Water Cooperation

• India and Bangladesh share 54 transboundary rivers.
• Bangladesh is the lower riparian state, making river-water management especially important.
• The Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) was established in 1972.
• Cooperation includes:
  
  • Water sharing
  • Flood forecasting
  • Hydrological data
  • River management
  • Navigation.

Ganga Water Sharing Treaty, 1996

• Signed on 12 December 1996.
• It regulates sharing of Ganga water at Farakka during the lean season.
• The treaty operates from 1 January to 31 May each year.
• It established a 30-year framework covering 1996–2026.
• With the treaty reaching the end of its original 30-year period in December 2026, its future/renewal has become an important contemporary bilateral issue.

Why Renegotiation Matters

• The future arrangement needs to account for:
  
  • Climate change
  • Changing river discharge
  • Irrigation demand
  • Sedimentation
  • Kolkata Port requirements
  • Bangladesh’s dry-season requirements
  • Ecological flows.
• A purely allocation-based approach should gradually evolve towards basin-wide river management.

Teesta Water Dispute

• The Teesta River originates in the eastern Himalayas and flows through:
  
  • Sikkim
  • West Bengal
  • Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh seeks a larger and more predictable share of dry-season water.
• India and Bangladesh have not yet concluded a final Teesta water-sharing treaty.
• The major constraint is the absence of political consensus involving West Bengal.
• The Teesta issue demonstrates the intersection between: Foreign Policy + Federalism + Water Diplomacy

• Since water is a State List subject, India’s foreign policy commitments need cooperation from affected states.
• Therefore, resolution requires cooperative federalism between the Union Government and West Bengal.

Bilateral Trade between India and Bangladesh

• Bangladesh remains one of India’s most important trading partners in South Asia.
• Major Indian exports include:
  
  • Cotton and cotton yarn
  • Petroleum products
  • Machinery
  • Chemicals
  • Food products
  • Vehicles.
• Major imports from Bangladesh include:
  
  • Ready-made garments
  • Textiles
  • Jute products
  • Footwear.
• The relationship remains characterised by a large trade surplus in India’s favour.
• Official Indian trade data show that India’s exports to Bangladesh remained substantial in FY2025–26; Bangladesh was India’s 7th-largest export destination during April–November 2025.

Trade Challenges

• Bangladesh has raised concerns regarding:
  
  • Trade imbalance
  • Non-tariff barriers
  • Standards and certification
  • Limited testing facilities
  • Border logistics.
• India, meanwhile, has concerns regarding:
  
  • Trade restrictions
  • Market access
  • Policy unpredictability.
• Bilateral trade experienced new friction after the political transition, making trade normalisation an important requirement for rebuilding trust.

Connectivity Cooperation

• Bangladesh’s geography makes it extremely important for connecting mainland India with Northeast India.
• Before Partition, rivers and railways through present-day Bangladesh provided natural access to the Northeast.
• Restoring these links can substantially reduce:
  
  • Travel distance
  • Logistics costs
  • Dependence on the Siliguri Corridor.

Rail Connectivity

• Important links include:
  
  • Maitree Express — Kolkata–Dhaka
  • Bandhan Express — Kolkata–Khulna
  • Mitali Express — New Jalpaiguri–Dhaka
  • Haldibari–Chilahati
  • Akhaura–Agartala.
• The Akhaura–Agartala rail link is strategically important because it connects Bangladesh directly with Tripura.

Road Connectivity

• Important bus routes have connected:
  
  • Kolkata–Dhaka
  • Agartala–Dhaka
  • Shillong–Dhaka.
• Bangladesh is part of the BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement, aimed at facilitating seamless passenger and cargo movement.

Maitri Setu

• Maitri Setu connects:
  
  • Sabroom in Tripura
  • Ramgarh in Bangladesh.
• It provides Northeast India improved access towards Chattogram Port.

Inland Waterway Connectivity

• The Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) facilitates movement of cargo through India-Bangladesh river systems.
• It enables Indian cargo to reach Northeast India through Bangladesh.
• Benefits include:
  
  • Lower transportation cost
  • Reduced pressure on roads
  • Lower carbon emissions
  • Reduced dependence on the Siliguri Corridor.
• Inland waterways therefore connect India’s Neighbourhood First and Act East policies.

Port Connectivity

• Bangladesh has allowed India to use Chattogram and Mongla Ports for transit cargo.
• The arrangement became operational in 2023.
• It significantly improves Northeast India’s access to maritime trade.
• This can transform Bangladesh from merely a neighbouring country into a connectivity bridge between India’s mainland and Northeast.

Power and Energy Cooperation

• Energy has emerged as one of the strongest pillars of bilateral cooperation.
• Bangladesh has imported more than 1,000 MW of electricity from India through cross-border transmission systems.
• Important interconnections include:
  
  • Bheramara–Baharampur
  • Comilla–Tripura.

Maitree Super Thermal Power Project

• The 1,320 MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant at Rampal is a joint project involving:
  
  • India’s NTPC
  • Bangladesh Power Development Board.
• It represents large-scale bilateral energy cooperation.

India–Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline

• Inaugurated in 2023.
• Connects:
  
  • Siliguri, India
  • Parbatipur, Bangladesh.
• It transports high-speed diesel to northern Bangladesh.
• Benefits:
  
  • Lower transport costs
  • Reliable supply
  • Reduced road transportation
  • Greater energy security.

Trilateral Electricity Trade

• India is increasingly facilitating a regional electricity market involving:
  
  • India
  • Bangladesh
  • Nepal.
• In 2024, electricity began flowing from Nepal to Bangladesh through the Indian grid.
• This is strategically important because it establishes the foundation of a:

BBIN Regional Energy Grid

• In the future, the region can integrate:
  
  • Nepalese hydropower
  • Bhutanese hydropower
  • Indian transmission infrastructure
  • Bangladeshi electricity demand.

Rooppur Nuclear Power Project

• Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is primarily a Russia-Bangladesh project.
• India participates through:
  
  • Training
  • Capacity building
  • Technical cooperation.
• It represents a rare example of India-Russia cooperation in a third country.

Development Partnership

• India has historically extended multiple Lines of Credit worth several billion dollars to Bangladesh.
• Major areas include:
  
  • Railways
  • Roads
  • Ports
  • Shipping
  • Power
  • Infrastructure.
• India has also supported:
  
  • Schools
  • Health centres
  • Community infrastructure
  • Capacity-building programmes.
• However, some LoC projects have experienced:
  
  • Implementation delays
  • Administrative bottlenecks
  • Land-acquisition problems
  • Slow disbursement.

Technical and Capacity-Building Cooperation

• Bangladesh has been a major beneficiary of India’s Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.
• Training covers:
  
  • Governance
  • Public administration
  • Information technology
  • Policing
  • Renewable energy
  • Audit
  • Skill development.
• Such programmes strengthen India’s soft power and institutional connectivity with Bangladesh.

Cultural Relations

• India and Bangladesh share:
  
  • Bengali language and literature
  • Music
  • Cuisine
  • Religious traditions
  • Historical memories.
• Important shared personalities include:
  
  • Rabindranath Tagore
  • Kazi Nazrul Islam
  • Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
• India’s Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka promotes:
  
  • Yoga
  • Music
  • Dance
  • Hindi
  • Cultural exchanges.

Significance of Bangladesh for India

Security of Northeast India

• Bangladesh borders:
  
  • Assam
  • Meghalaya
  • Tripura
  • Mizoram.
• Cooperation with Bangladesh is crucial for:
  
  • Counter-insurgency
  • Border management
  • Counter-terrorism
  • Drug control.

Connectivity to Northeast India

• Bangladesh provides the shortest geographical routes between several Northeastern states and mainland India.
• Access through Bangladesh can reduce dependence on the narrow Siliguri Corridor or “Chicken’s Neck.”
• Chattogram and Mongla ports can substantially reduce logistics costs for Northeast India.

Act East Policy

• Bangladesh is India’s geographical gateway towards:
  
  • Myanmar
  • Southeast Asia
  • Bay of Bengal.
• Thus:

India’s Act East Policy has a strong Bangladesh dimension.

Bay of Bengal

• Bangladesh occupies a strategically important position in the Bay of Bengal.
• Cooperation is important for:
  
  • Maritime security
  • Blue Economy
  • Fisheries
  • Disaster management
  • Shipping
  • Energy resources.

Countering Strategic Competition

• Bangladesh has close economic and defence relations with China.
• Maintaining strong India-Bangladesh relations therefore helps India preserve a favourable strategic environment in:
  
  • Bay of Bengal
  • Eastern South Asia
  • India’s Northeast.

Regional Integration

• Bangladesh is central to:
  
  • BIMSTEC
  • BBIN
  • Bay of Bengal connectivity.
• It can serve as an economic bridge linking South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Significance of India for Bangladesh

• India offers Bangladesh:
  
  • A large neighbouring market
  • Electricity
  • Petroleum supplies
  • Transit connectivity
  • Investment
  • Medical facilities
  • Educational opportunities
  • Development assistance.
• Stable relations with India can facilitate Bangladesh’s access to:
  
  • Nepal
  • Bhutan
  • Wider South Asian markets.
• India is also important for:
  
  • Flood forecasting
  • River management
  • Regional energy integration
  • Border security.

Major Challenges in India–Bangladesh Relations

Teesta Water Sharing

• The absence of a final Teesta water-sharing agreement remains one of the most persistent bilateral irritants.
• Bangladesh regards Teesta as essential for irrigation in its northern districts.
• India must balance Bangladesh’s concerns with the requirements of West Bengal.

Future of the Ganga Water Treaty

• The 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty completes its original 30-year duration in 2026.
• Negotiating its future is therefore a major contemporary issue.
• The next framework should incorporate:
  
  • Climate change
  • Environmental flows
  • Irrigation
  • Navigation
  • Sedimentation
  • Basin-level management.

Border Killings

• Deaths of Bangladeshi nationals during border incidents have periodically generated strong resentment in Bangladesh.
• Better coordination between BSF and BGB is necessary.
• India should promote:
  
  • Non-lethal border management
  • Technology-based surveillance
  • Joint patrolling
  • Better intelligence sharing.

Illegal Migration

• The long and densely populated border facilitates irregular cross-border movement.
• India has concerns regarding:
  
  • Illegal migration
  • Demographic pressures
  • Security
  • Smuggling.
• Bangladesh has expressed concerns regarding Indian political discourse surrounding:
  
  • NRC
  • Citizenship issues.
• These matters need careful diplomatic handling to avoid damaging people-to-people relations.

Rohingya Crisis

• Bangladesh hosts a very large population of Rohingya refugees displaced from Myanmar.
• Bangladesh expects greater international support for their safe and sustainable repatriation.
• India has an interest in resolving the crisis because prolonged instability can affect:
  
  • Northeast India
  • Bangladesh
  • Myanmar
  • Bay of Bengal security.

Cross-Border Crime

• Major concerns include:
  
  • Drug trafficking
  • Human trafficking
  • Arms smuggling
  • Wildlife trafficking
  • Organised crime.
• Better border infrastructure and intelligence cooperation are essential.

Terrorism and Radicalisation

• Terrorist organisations such as Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) have previously developed networks across the border.
• Political instability can increase concerns regarding:
  
  • Radicalisation
  • Terrorist recruitment
  • Cross-border networks.
• Counter-terrorism cooperation must therefore remain insulated from political disagreements.

Trade Imbalance

• Bangladesh runs a substantial merchandise trade deficit with India.
• Concerns include:
  
  • Non-tariff barriers
  • Certification requirements
  • Border infrastructure
  • Market-access restrictions.
• Recent trade frictions demonstrate the need for a more predictable rules-based bilateral trade framework.

China Factor

• China is an important:
  
  • Infrastructure partner
  • Defence supplier
  • Investor
  • Trading partner of Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh participates in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• China’s presence in:
  
  • Ports
  • Infrastructure
  • Defence
  • Digital networks
    attracts strategic attention in India.
• However, India should avoid viewing Bangladesh solely through a China-centric lens.

Appropriate Indian Strategy

India should compete through:

Geographical Proximity + Connectivity + Market Access + Culture + Development Partnership

rather than attempting to force Bangladesh into a binary India-versus-China choice.

Political Trust Deficit

• Political developments since 2024 have generated greater mistrust in bilateral relations.
• Concerns in India include:
  
  • Security implications of political instability
  • Treatment of minorities
  • Anti-India rhetoric
  • Growing engagement with China and Pakistan.
• Concerns within Bangladesh include perceptions of:
  
  • Indian political interference
  • Unequal economic relations
  • Border killings
  • Unresolved water issues.
• Rebuilding trust therefore requires engagement beyond any single political party or government.

Needed area of Cooperation

People-to-People Relations

• Political tensions can spill over into:
  
  • Tourism
  • Medical travel
  • Education
  • Cultural exchanges
  • Sports
  • Visa arrangements.
• India should therefore strengthen engagement with:
  
  • Students
  • Civil society
  • Universities
  • Businesses
  • Artists
  • Media
  • Youth.
• Long-term bilateral stability requires societal goodwill, not merely government-to-government cooperation.

Climate Change and Disaster Management

• India and Bangladesh share a highly climate-vulnerable region.
• Common threats include:
  
  • Cyclones
  • Floods
  • River erosion
  • Sea-level rise
  • Salinity intrusion
  • Extreme rainfall.
• Future cooperation should include:
  
  • Flood forecasting
  • Cyclone warning systems
  • Climate-resilient infrastructure
  • River-basin management
  • Mangrove conservation.

Sundarbans Cooperation

• India and Bangladesh share the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem.
• Both countries face common threats from:
  
  • Sea-level rise
  • Cyclones
  • Salinity
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Human-wildlife conflict.
• The Sundarbans should become a major area of transboundary climate diplomacy.

Way Forward

Rebuild Political Trust

• India should engage with Bangladesh as a state and society rather than depending excessively on relations with any particular political formation.
• Dialogue should remain continuous despite political differences.

Resolve Teesta through Cooperative Federalism

• India needs a consensus involving:
  
  • Union Government
  • West Bengal Government
  • Bangladesh.
• Scientific hydrological assessment should form the basis of an equitable arrangement.

Modernise the Ganga Water Framework

• The post-2026 framework should move from simple water allocation towards:

Integrated River Basin Management

• It should incorporate:
  
  • Climate change
  • Environmental flows
  • Sedimentation
  • Irrigation
  • Navigation.

Strengthen Economic Integration

• Revive discussions on a comprehensive economic partnership.
• Focus on:
  
  • Reducing non-tariff barriers
  • Customs digitisation
  • Better testing facilities
  • Supply-chain integration
  • Border infrastructure.

Make Connectivity Irreversible

• Expand:
  
  • Railways
  • Highways
  • Inland waterways
  • Coastal shipping
  • Port access.
• Greater economic interdependence makes bilateral relations more resilient to political changes.

Develop a BBIN Energy Market

• Expand electricity trade among:
  
  • Bangladesh
  • Bhutan
  • India
  • Nepal.
• Bangladesh can become a major consumer and transit node in a South Asian electricity market.

Improve Border Management

• Move from simple border fencing towards smart border management through:
  
  • Surveillance technology
  • Joint intelligence
  • Non-lethal methods
  • Coordinated patrols
  • Integrated Check Posts.

Strengthen Northeast–Bangladesh Economic Integration

• India’s Northeast and Bangladesh should be treated as a natural economic region.
• Cooperation can focus on:
  
  • Logistics
  • Tourism
  • Agriculture
  • Textiles
  • Energy
  • Border haats
  • Ports.

Manage the China Factor Maturely

• India should not demand strategic exclusivity from Bangladesh.
• Instead, India should become the most reliable and economically useful partner through:
  
  • Faster project implementation
  • Market access
  • Connectivity
  • Technology
  • Education.

Expand People-to-People Diplomacy

• Facilitate:
  
  • Student exchanges
  • Medical travel
  • Academic cooperation
  • Cultural festivals
  • Tourism
  • Youth exchanges.
• This can counter misinformation and rebuild societal trust.

Conclusion

• India-Bangladesh relations are too geographically and economically interconnected to be viewed merely through short-term political fluctuations.
• Bangladesh is crucial for India’s:
  
  • Northeast security
  • Act East Policy
  • Bay of Bengal strategy
  • Connectivity
  • Regional energy integration.
• India is equally important for Bangladesh’s:
  
  • Trade
  • Energy
  • Connectivity
  • Water management
  • Regional integration.
• The major challenge is to prevent disputes over water, borders, domestic politics and strategic competition from overwhelming the structural advantages of cooperation.
• The future relationship should move from:

“Historical Friendship” → “Strategic and Economic Interdependence”

• A stable relationship based on mutual respect, political sensitivity, connectivity, shared prosperity and people-to-people trust can make India-Bangladesh cooperation one of the strongest pillars of stability in the Bay of Bengal and eastern South Asia.