Trust rift and changing neighbourhood, has 2025 changed India-Bangladesh relations forever?

News India Live, Digital Desk: December 2025 is coming to an end and when we look back, the most discussed on the foreign policy front is India and its nearest neighbor Bangladesh. There was a time when the relationship between the two countries was called the ‘Golden Chapter’, but 2025 turned the pages of the book of this friendship in such a way that now bitterness and silence are more visible there. The period that changed everything. The truth is that the foundation of 2025 was laid on that afternoon of August 2024, when there was a coup in Dhaka. But its real ‘impact’ was seen in 2025. The mood of the new interim government formed in Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina’s arrival in India was not the same towards India as it was for the last one and a half decade. The warmth at the negotiating table has now been replaced by cold formal statements. Battle of Emotions and ‘India Out’ What was most stinging this year was the growing anti-India voice on the streets of Bangladesh. The ‘India Out’ campaign which gained momentum on social media has raised many questions in the minds of common Indians. It was really surprising to see the opposition to the Indian flag and Indian goods in a country for which India had risked everything for its independence. This had a direct impact on trade and mutual trust. The cry of minorities and increasing tension, the issue of security of minority Hindus remained the most heated issue in the year 2025. Cases like the news of attacks on temples and the recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das have forced not only the Indian government but also the international community to think. Common people living in India also seemed hurt by the fact that the structure of peace and security in the neighborhood is wavering. When there was a heated debate in the diplomatic corridors, its effect was also visible on the coordination of the security forces deployed on the border of the two countries. The bitterness of waiting for treatment and visa. Politics has its place, but the common man who used to go from this side of the border to the other side every day suffered the most loss. The tightening of visa rules in 2025 and the protests at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka caused problems for thousands of Bangladeshi patients who came to India for treatment. In the big hospitals of India, where there was once a crowd of Bangladeshi faces, there was silence in the last months of 2025. This is a human loss that cannot be measured on paper. What next? Is there any ray of hope? From the point at which we stand today, the path ahead looks bleak. Will we be able to live that old friendship back in 2026? Experts believe that restoration of trust between the interim government of Bangladesh and India is the only way forward. If security is paramount for India, stability is paramount for Bangladesh.