Dhaka, May 14 -- Bangladesh's Election Commission has suspended the registration of the Awami League, effectively barring the country's longest-standing political party from participating in the next general elections.

The decision, announced late Monday, follows a government ban on the party's activities amid a high-profile tribunal investigating alleged crimes committed under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.

India, Bangladesh's influential neighbor and former ally of the Awami League, described the development as "concerning."

"The ban on the Awami League is a concerning development," said Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal during a briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday. "We strongly support the holding of free, fair and in...