Bangladesh has initiated talks with Turkey’s Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi A.S. (Otokar) to procure 26 light tanks, with delivery expected in 2025. According to a report by TimesNow Turkey’s government is not only warm to the deal but also assisting with bidding and technical proposals.

Rumors suggesting that India has approached Turkey to halt the agreement are unlikely to be true, however. India likely views the acquisition of 26 light tanks as a minor development rather than a significant military threat. India’s defence on the Eastern Front includes superior assets such as attack helicopters equipped with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) and over ten times the number of Main Battle Tanks, including the Russian-origin T-90 and T-72 models, as well as the indigenous Arjun.

Additionally, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has multi-role aircraft like the SU-30MKI capable of conducting fixed-wing ground attack sorties, further diminishing the strategic value of Bangladesh’s tank acquisition in potential conflicts.

Continuing the tensions in the diplomatic and political sphere though, India has also received a formal request from Bangladesh for the extradition of its former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, sent a diplomatic note to India’s Foreign Ministry requesting Hasina’s return. The 77-year-old leader fled to India on August 5, 2024, following mass student-led protests that ended her 16-year tenure.

Indian MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the receipt of the request during a weekly press briefing. However, he declined to provide further details. He emphasised the importance of fair trials for individuals currently under arrest in Bangladesh, stating, “We expect that those people who have been arrested in Bangladesh must get a fair trial, and this is our appeal.” Sheikh Hasina faces multiple legal challenges in Bangladesh, including charges related to fatalities during her administration.

The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet members, advisers, and officials from the military and civil services. However the 2013 extradition agreement between India and Bangladesh also doesn’t bind the two nations to any timeframes for a response or compliance, which could give New Delhi the time and opportunity to negotiate a deal with Dhaka avoiding the repatriation of Hasina.

The legal and political turmoil in Bangladesh has extended to fuel mass unrest with a significant portion of the public asking for reassessing both Hasina’s father and independent Bangladesh’s first leader Mujibur Rehman and India’s role in the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. The unrest has also negatively affected the security of minorities, groups and organisations from which have been a target of violence and judicial ire.

On January 4, 2025, a court in Chittagong denied bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former leader of the religious order International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and the current spokesperson for Sammilita Sanatani Jagrani Jote, a minority rights group. Das was arrested on November 25, 2024, on sedition charges. While Das has not become the uniting figure for minority resistance against violence yet, his continued stay in legal custody is likely to raise questions internationally, bringing even more scrutiny on the actions of the interim government in Dhaka.