The anti-quota protest movement had a strong anti-India flavour, because Delhi was seen as Hasina’s principal backing. Slogans like “Bharat jader mamabari, Bangla charo taratari (Leave Bangladesh, those of you whose true motherland is India)” were heard frequently enough. More than 7,000 Indian students studying in Bangladeshi educational institutions, including medical colleges, had to be evacuated; many complained of harassment and intimidation. The anti-India mood has peaked now that Hasina has found official refuge in India. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is expected to play a crucial role in the interim dispensation, has already set the pitch by “feeling hurt when India says the violence in Bangladesh is its internal affair”.
