India has designated Bangladesh as a “non-family” diplomatic posting with effect from the first week of January, citing security concerns ahead of the country’s February 12 general elections.
The move requires Indian diplomats and officials stationed in Bangladesh to serve without their spouses and children. Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said additional time was granted in cases involving school-going children.
“Given the security situation, as a precautionary measure, dependents of officials have been advised to return to India. The mission in Bangladesh continues to remain operational,” an MEA official said, emphasising that the step is temporary and aimed solely at ensuring the safety of personnel and their families.
Over a dozen families of Indian officials posted at the High Commission in Dhaka and four consulates have already returned to India in recent days. However, there has been no formal public announcement from New Delhi, nor any official response from Dhaka.
The Indian High Commission in Dhaka and its consulates, meanwhile, will continue to function normally, providing diplomatic and consular services without interruption.
The decision places Bangladesh in a category previously reserved for high-risk postings such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Sudan. Until now, Indian personnel posted to Bangladesh were permitted to be accompanied by immediate family members.
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The move comes against the backdrop of deteriorating security conditions and strained bilateral relations following the ouster of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 through a students’-led mass movement.
Hasina subsequently fled to India, where she continues to reside. Bangladesh is now preparing for its first nationwide elections since the upheaval, to be held on February 12, under a transitional administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Tensions between the two neighbours have escalated in recent months, with both sides summoning each other’s envoys in diplomatic actions in December 2025. India summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner twice over security threats to its missions in Dhaka amid anti-India protests, while Bangladesh responded by summoning India’s envoy following demonstrations in front of its diplomatic establishments in India.
Bangladesh has witnessed sporadic violence in the run-up to the elections, including a disturbing pattern of attacks on Hindu and other minority communities. Rights groups have warned that weakened law and order in parts of the country has emboldened extremist elements and vigilante mobs.
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