Bangladesh has summoned New Delhi’s acting High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pawan Badhe, after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks on relations with Bangladesh and the alleged pushback of undocumented migrants triggered a formal diplomatic protest.Badhe was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon, where Director General for South Asia Ishrat Jahan conveyed the government’s objection. Dhaka described the remarks as disparaging to Bangladesh-New Delhi relations and said public comments on sensitive bilateral matters could damage trust between the two neighbours.
The protest followed two sets of remarks by Sarma that drew attention in Dhaka. An interview aired on April 15 quoted him as saying he hoped the state of relations with Bangladesh would not improve further, linking strained ties to tighter border vigilance and the prevention of undocumented movement into Assam. On April 26, he wrote that 20 “illegal Bangladeshis” had been pushed back after being apprehended in Assam, language Dhaka viewed as unacceptable for a public official dealing with a cross-border matter.
Bangladesh’s position is that allegations of illegal migration and any return of individuals must be handled through established diplomatic, legal and border-management mechanisms rather than unilateral public claims. Officials in Dhaka have also objected to statements suggesting that people can be moved across the frontier outside formal procedures, arguing that such remarks risk inflaming public opinion and weakening the channels used to resolve border incidents.
The episode comes at a delicate stage in Bangladesh’s relations with New Delhi. Ties have been under strain since the political upheaval of 2024, when Sheikh Hasina’s government fell and the country entered a prolonged transition before the February 2026 elections brought a new administration to power. Both sides have since sought to steady the relationship through contacts on trade, energy, connectivity, visas, security and regional diplomacy.
New Delhi named Dinesh Trivedi as its next High Commissioner to Bangladesh earlier this week, a move widely seen as part of a broader attempt to reset engagement with Dhaka. Badhe is serving in an acting capacity in the interim. The timing of Dhaka’s protest means the incoming envoy may inherit a relationship in which migration, border security and political rhetoric remain among the most sensitive issues.
Assam shares a long and politically charged border history with Bangladesh. Migration has shaped the state’s electoral discourse for decades, influencing debates over citizenship, voter lists, identity and land rights. Sarma, one of the most prominent leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Northeast, has made action against undocumented migration a central element of his political messaging.
The Bangladesh protest also reflects broader concerns over how domestic politics in Assam can spill into diplomacy. Statements made for a regional audience often travel quickly across the border, where they are read through the lens of sovereignty, national dignity and past disputes. Dhaka has signalled that it does not want such rhetoric to become normalised at a time when both governments are attempting to stabilise the relationship.
Border management remains one of the most complex areas between the two countries. The frontier stretches more than 4,000 kilometres and cuts across rivers, villages, farmland and densely populated areas. Smuggling, irregular migration, trafficking and security patrols have long required coordination between the Border Security Force and Border Guard Bangladesh. Any claim of informal pushback can therefore raise questions about due process, nationality verification and the treatment of vulnerable people.
Dhaka’s protest stopped short of announcing punitive measures, suggesting that Bangladesh wants to contain the dispute while placing its objection on record. No formal public statement was issued immediately after the meeting, but officials made clear that the government expects restraint from political figures when speaking on matters involving another sovereign state.
For New Delhi, the challenge is to balance domestic political pressures in border states with the need to preserve working ties with Dhaka. Bangladesh remains central to the security, trade and connectivity architecture of the eastern region, while cooperation with Dhaka is vital for transit, counterterrorism, river management and access to the Northeast.