Anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh has likely reached its highest point in recent memory. The country that opened its borders and provided humanitarian aid to save Bangladeshi lives during the great Liberation War, that supplied weapons, training, and military assistance, and fought alongside brave freedom fighters to liberate the country from Pakistani occupying forces, making Bangladesh independent - why has sentiment against that country become so strong 53 years later? It is crucial to explore this question for the future relationship and foreign policy of both nations.

Most Bangladeshis believe that Sheikh Hasina's government has remained in power for an extended period, especially since 2014, not through the will of the people, but through the suppression of opposition parties and dissenting views with the cooperation of the contemporary Indian government.

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Bypassing issues of universal suffrage and fundamental human rights, the Indian government has alternately cited the need to curb Islamic fundamentalism or reduce Chinese influence as justifications for acting as a kind of international manager on behalf of Sheikh Hasina. As a result, Sheikh Hasina's Awami League-led government faced no significant international sanctions until the US government imposed sanctions on RAB in 2021, despite ongoing allegations of killings, disappearances, and torture by BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Hefazat-e-Islam, and human rights organizations.

These allegations and incidents are also documented in the annual reports of the US State Department during this period. There is reason to doubt whether those in the Indian government who have consistently supported Sheikh Hasina's government did so in India's national interest or for other personal benefits. In reality, Bangladeshis have observed how Sheikh Hasina first ruthlessly suppressed Islamic groups by portraying them as a bogeyman, and later took on the role of their guardian, accepting the title of 'Mother of the Nation' from them.

Moreover, while concerns are raised about potential security risks to India through Bangladesh if Chinese influence increases, it's easy to observe that Chinese influence in Bangladesh has grown more during Sheikh Hasina's 2009-2024 rule than ever before. Therefore, the argument India has been making to Western powers - as a regional beneficiary of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy - that supporting Sheikh Hasina would reduce Chinese influence, conflicts with reality.

We observed with surprise that, setting aside diplomatic norms and courtesies of foreign policy, India's ruling group advanced relations only with and in the interest of the Awami League party, not with Bangladesh as a whole. When questions of dissent, repression, and human rights violations against Sheikh Hasina's government were raised, the Indian government would dismiss them as 'Bangladesh's internal affairs.' This blind support for authoritarianism has left a bitter taste in the minds of ordinary Bangladeshis.

Former journalist and senior lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, Avinash Paliwal, mentions in his recently published book 'India's Near East: A New History' how the Indian government at the time protected Sheikh Hasina during the 2009 BDR mutiny by issuing military threats. Simultaneously, the Indian government lobbied the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and even China to support Sheikh Hasina.

Sheikh Hasina has fulfilled all of India's aspirations, even at the cost of her country's and people's interests. While not receiving transit through India, she has granted India transit through Bangladesh, signed long-term unprofitable power purchase agreements with the Adani Group, and allowed India permanent use of Chittagong and Mongla ports.

In contrast, Bangladesh's legitimate demands, such as stopping BSF border killings and fair water-sharing agreements for the Teesta and 53 other rivers, remain unresolved even after 14 years. While Hasina's government has stood by India on separatist issues, India has not reciprocated on the Rohingya issue. Ignoring Bangladeshis' concerns, the environmentally destructive Rampal power plant was built, putting the Sundarbans at severe risk.

Following Sheikh Hasina's resignation and departure after the recent mass uprising, some Indian media exaggerated reports of attacks on temples and Hindus in Bangladesh, showing fake videos of temple arsons later debunked by fact-checking organization Dismislab.

The Modi government, accused of fostering Islamophobia and riots in its own country, has surprisingly quickly formed a committee to monitor the Bangladesh situation. During Sheikh Hasina's 2009-2024 rule, the Indian government didn't seem as concerned about numerous attacks on Hindu temples and property seizures. This raises doubts about the true motives behind their current concern.

India aspires to establish itself as a world power based on its economic size, manpower, military strength, and technological prowess. However, India's hegemonic behavior in South Asia has left it friendless.

Blind support for Sheikh Hasina's authoritarian actions has made Bangladeshis more suspicious and resentful towards India. Desiring foreign relations based on equality and national interest consideration is not an unreasonable demand. To move forward with relations with a changed Bangladesh following the mass uprising, India needs to reconsider its approach and behavior.