Tense India-Bangladesh relations are playing out on the cricket pitch
Bangladesh’s concerns about the safety of its cricket players is connected to the decision by Indian cricket authorities to exclude Bangladeshi player Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League. The deterioration in bilateral relations follows former Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina's flight to India. The two sides also accuse each other of sectarian violence as Bangladeshis are set to go to the polls next month. Still, New Delhi is trying a more conciliatory approach.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) – Tensions between India and Bangladesh have spilled over onto the cricket pitch. Yesterday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sent a new letter of protest to the International Cricket Council (ICC), raising concerns over the safety of Bangladeshi players scheduled to travel to India for the Men's T20 World Cup.
In the letter, the BCB reiterated its request to have the matches moved to Sri Lanka. The tournament starts on 7 February, and Bangladesh is set to play four matches, three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have deteriorated over the past year, following the ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who fled to India in August 2024 following widespread anti-government protests.
There is a widespread belief in Bangladesh that without India's support, Hasina would not have been able to stay in power for more than 15 years, through highly disputed elections.
India's giving asylum to the deposed prime minister and tens of thousands of Awami League leaders and activists who fled across the border has reinforced the perception of Indian interference in Bangladeshi politics.
India, for its part, has repeatedly expressed concern over the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh and has urged Bangladeshi authorities to punish those responsible. Bangladeshi authorities maintain that isolated incidents are not motivated by sectarian motives.
However, last month, an angry mob lynched a Hindu Bangladeshi garment factory worker accused of blasphemy, while some local Bangladeshi activists have adopted an increasingly extremist and radical stance toward India. One of them was Sharif Osman Hadi, who was killed last month.
Police in Dhaka say two suspects in the murder have fled to India but have not provided further explanations regarding the motive. Citing security reasons, Bangladesh suspended issuing visas to Indian nationals.
Tensions between the two countries flared up again earlier this month when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) excluded Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League (IPL) squad as instructed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), following what were broadly referred to as "recent developments."
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the decision telling Indian news agency ANI that the board had asked KKR to remove the Bangladeshi player from the team.
Several Hindu extremists had also criticised the KKR for signing Mustafizur, a Muslim, while his exclusion from the IPL further fuelled anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh.
In India, Lok Sabha Member Shashi Tharoor, representing the opposition Indian National Congress, asked: “Who are we punishing here – a nation, an individual, his religion? Where will this mindless politicising of sport lead us?”
Reacting to the BCCI decision, Bangladesh's caretaker government under Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, who came to power after Hasina's departure, halted IPL broadcasts earlier this week.
The issue is set against the backdrop of the upcoming Bangladesh elections, on 12 February, a few days after the start of the tournament.
India has declared its readiness to work with any government elected.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is the current frontrunner in the election. Historically, the party has had a difficult relationship with India. But after breaking a long-standing alliance with the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, the BNP now seems more acceptable in New Delhi.
Following the passing last month of BNP chairperson and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a warm letter of condolences to her son, Tarique Rahman. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the funeral in Dhaka.
India now appears to be taking a new approach, but Hindu ultranationalist groups backing Modi's government could represent an obstacle to a return to normal relations, as could the more extremist Islamic fringes in Bangladesh if they were to join the next government in Dhaka.
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12/04/2007
31/12/2018 16:43
