Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah on Monday issued a provocative warning, suggesting that Dhaka could potentially provide shelter to forces hostile to India, including separatist groups, and even hinted at the possibility of cutting off India’s northeastern region, commonly referred to as the “seven sisters.” His remarks drew a sharp response from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who on Tuesday described the comments as “irresponsible and dangerous,” while asserting that India would not ignore such threats.
The term “seven sisters” refers to the northeastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. Of these, four states—Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram—share a direct land border with Bangladesh, making the region strategically sensitive and geopolitically significant for both countries.
Addressing a gathering at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar, Hasnat Abdullah claimed that Bangladesh could offer refuge to “separatist and anti-India forces.” He warned that such support, if extended, could be used to isolate India’s northeastern states from the rest of the country. His remarks reportedly drew loud applause from sections of the audience present at the event.
According to local media reports, Abdullah said that Bangladesh would respond if India continued to provide shelter to forces that, in his words, did not respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, democratic processes, voting rights, or human rights. He cautioned that any attempt to destabilise Bangladesh would not remain confined within its borders and could have broader regional consequences.
“If Bangladesh is destabilised, the fire of resistance will spread beyond its borders,” Abdullah warned, adding a note of escalation to his remarks. He also criticised India’s perceived role in regional affairs, claiming that even more than five decades after its independence, Bangladesh continued to face pressure from what he described as “vultures” attempting to exert influence or control over the country.
Reacting strongly to these statements, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that repeated comments from across the border calling for the separation of India’s northeastern states were deeply concerning. Speaking on the sidelines of a programme in Lumding, Sarma said that such ideas of merging or detaching the Northeast from India were not only irresponsible but also posed a serious danger to regional stability. He added that India would not remain silent in the face of such rhetoric.
“For the last year, statements have been coming again and again from that country suggesting that the states of North East India should be separated and made a part of Bangladesh,” Sarma said, underscoring the seriousness with which New Delhi views such remarks.
India has, in the past, accused militant and separatist groups operating in the Northeast of using Bangladeshi territory as safe havens, transit corridors, and logistical bases, particularly during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Indian security agencies have linked outfits such as the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) to camps and support networks across the border during that period.
According to officials, cadres of these groups often crossed into Bangladesh to evade Indian security forces, while training, shelter, and arms procurement were allegedly facilitated from across the border. Beyond insurgent groups in the Northeast, Indian agencies have also pointed to Bangladesh being used in the past as a base for certain Islamist extremist networks with alleged links affecting eastern India.
Organisations such as Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were flagged by Indian authorities for their involvement in radicalisation efforts and for providing logistical support that posed security concerns for India.
The security dynamic between the two countries, however, changed significantly after Sheikh Hasina returned to power in Bangladesh in 2009. Under her leadership, Dhaka launched a sustained crackdown on insurgent and extremist groups operating against India, leading to improved security cooperation and intelligence sharing between the two neighbours.
Separately, Hasnat Abdullah also took aim at Bangladesh’s Election Commission, criticising it as “spineless” and questioning its decision to describe the recent attack on electoral candidate Osman Hadi as an “isolated” incident, a comment that has added to the broader political tensions within Bangladesh ahead of upcoming electoral processes.
