‘Will update when there is one’: India on Dhaka’s Hasina extradition request

Jaiswal’s remarks came a day after Dhaka called for expediting Hasina’s extradition at a meeting between PM Tarique Rahman and Indian envoy Dinesh Trivedi.

India said on Tuesday that Bangladesh’s request for the extradition of former premier Sheikh Hasina, who has lived in the country in self-exile since August 2024, is being examined in line with established processes, though a decision is yet to be made.

Trivedi met Rahman, Jaiswal told a regular media briefing. He noted that India has already outlined its position on Hasina’s extradition. (File Photo/AFP)

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal outlined New Delhi’s position a day after Dhaka called for expediting Hasina’s extradition during a meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Indian envoy Dinesh Trivedi in the Bangladeshi capital. The matter has emerged as the main irritant in relations between the two neighbouring countries.

Sheikh Hasina’s extradition

Trivedi met Rahman and discussed matters of mutual interest, Jaiswal told a regular media briefing. He noted that India has already outlined its position on Hasina’s extradition, which was first raised by the Bangladeshi side in late 2024.

“We have made it very clear that this issue is being examined in line with established processes on the Indian side. We will give you an update when there is one,” Jaiswal said, speaking in Hindi.

Handing over of two Bangladeshi nationals

Jaiswal responded to another question on Bangladesh seeking the handing over of two Bangladeshi nationals arrested in West Bengal earlier this year on suspicion of involvement in the killing of Bangladeshi political leader Sharif Osman Hadi by saying that investigations by Indian authorities are yet to be completed.

“This is a legal matter, in which investigations are ongoing,” he said.

The Bangladeshi side had also raised this matter during Trivedi’s meeting with Rahman in Dhaka on Monday. Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman described the matter as a “sensitive issue” and said Dhaka had submitted all the documents sought by New Delhi.

The two Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in March for alleged involvement in the killing of radical leader Hadi, who was shot by gunmen in Dhaka last December and subsequently died while being treated in Singapore. The attack triggered violent protests across Bangladesh that assumed anti-India overtones because of unsubstantiated reports of an Indian link to Hadi’s killing.

Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman's bilateral visit to India

Jaiswal referred to two separate invitations extended to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for a bilateral visit to India and to join the outreach session of the Brics Summit in September and said: “We will keep you updated on this particular matter.”

The Bangladesh PM has been invited to the Brics Summit in his capacity as the current chair of Bimstec. There has been no official word from Dhaka on whether he will accept the invitation.