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No change in stance: India on Hasina’s return to Dhaka
: As Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina plans to return to Dhaka from self-exile, India on Tuesday reacted cautiously, saying there is no change in New Delhi’s approach to the matter
: As Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina plans to return to Dhaka from self-exile, India on Tuesday reacted cautiously, saying there is no change in New Delhi’s approach to the matter.
Hasina has lived in India since she fled Dhaka after the collapse of her government in August 2024 following weeks of student-led anti-government agitation. She has said in a recent interview that she plans to return to Bangladesh, where she faces a death sentence, by December this year and surrender to judicial authorities.
“There is no change in our approach to the matter. Any extradition matter is a legal issue, and it will be dealt with accordingly,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters when he was asked about whether India has been in touch with the Bangladeshi side about Hasina’s safe return.
Hasina was sentenced to death by a special tribunal in Dhaka last year for alleged “crimes against humanity” in connection with her government’s crackdown on the student-led protests in 2024. The new Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government in Dhaka has reiterated a demand for Hasina’s extradition.
India has maintained that the extradition demand will be examined in line with judicial and legal processes.
India-Bangladesh relations cratered after Hasina’s government was replaced by an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus. The two sides took some steps to normalise relations after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla represented India at the inauguration of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in February. However, Hasina’s continued presence in India remains an irritant in bilateral ties.
