Hasina’s stay in India has already become a major irritant in bilateral ties and the escalating protests in both countries are likely to deteriorate the atmosphere. Experts point out that India and Bangladesh are neighbours who need each other and it’s time for the rhetoric to be toned down.

Donald Lu, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, is slated to visit India to co-lead the US-India East Asia Consultations, focusing on global and regional issues

The arrest of a Hindu monk in Bangladesh has triggered a fresh war of words with neighbour India over the condition of minorities in the country. Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson of a Bangladesh-based Hindu organisation, was arrested on sedition charges this week, spurring clashes that led to one death.

The echoes of the ongoing Hindu protests in Bangladesh after the arrest of an ISKCON priest have now reached the UK parliament where MPs have raised concerns over recent attacks on the minority community in the Muslim-dominated state.

The latest trigger was the arrest of a Hindu monk last week, which set off protests in India by activists from Hindu organisations and politicians including members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).