Opinion | Bangladesh's New Reality Doesn't Bode Well For India's Security

An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge of a fractured Bangladesh after a meeting between President Mohammed Shahabuddin, military leaders and student activists. Promising to "uphold, support and protect the constitution", Yunus has called for the restoration of law and order as his government faces the reality of the withering away of state apparatus. Sheikh Hasina is gone, but the real challenge begins now. A new reality confronts the people of Bangladesh. There is a new sense of optimism, but it is embedded in a deeply divided society and polity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already extended his best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on his new role and has expressed hope for a swift return to normalcy, emphasising the importance of ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all minority communities. For India, challenges abound as Hasina, its long-standing partner, had to depart in ignominy. The certainty of the last 15 years has given way to a sense of the unknown. New Delhi had invested in its partnership with Dhaka confident that the Hasina dispensation would not let it down. As a result, a bilateral partnership that followed could not only resolve some of the most testing challenges but it also emerged as an anchor in the wider Bay of Bengal.

However, Hasina's tendency to centralise decision-making and marginalise the opposition managed to limit Bangladesh's evolution into a mature democracy. As Hasina drifted towards authoritarianism, New Delhi's options got further curtailed. Now, India has to ensure that it manages to build ties with the new leadership in Dhaka.