Potential radicalisation of Indian students in Bangladesh a major concern: Intel agencies

NEW DELHI: The potential radicalisation of Indian students in Bangladesh may soon emerge as a major security concern for India, said intelligence sources on Thursday.

Over 8,000 Indian medical students were studying in Bangladesh at the time of the 2024 political crisis there, which led to the ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Inputs emerging from the neighbouring country suggest that a number of students in medical colleges in Dhaka, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Chittagong have become the target of ideological grooming by radical elements who hold sway in the country after PM Hasina was ousted from power, the sources said.

A senior intelligence official said, “After Hasina, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and its student wing, Chatra Shibir, have re-entered campuses. The Chatra Shibir controls student hostels, prayer groups and weekend camps in Faridpur, Mirpur and Uttara medical zones. These medical colleges are serving as ideological moorings for Indian and Nepali students.”