NEW DELHI: India has reiterated that Sheikh Hasina’s extradition will be dealt with through legal channels, declining to comment on a BBC Bangla report that New Delhi has set two conditions for her return to Bangladesh.
According to the report published on Thursday, Indian officials have indicated that Bangladesh must arrange for the former prime minister’s return through its military.
As Hasina arrived in India aboard a Bangladesh military aircraft on Aug 5, 2024, the Bangladesh Army would have to take her back, either by sending an aircraft to Delhi or receiving her at a designated point along the land border. India is prepared to make the necessary logistical arrangements, the report said.
The second condition is that Bangladesh must guarantee Hasina the opportunity to appeal against her death sentence and ensure a fresh trial over the killings during the July uprising.
Hasina fled to India amid the youth-led mass uprising and has been living there since. She was sentenced to death in November 2025 for crimes against humanity committed during the uprising.
Bangladesh has formally sought her extradition twice, first through a diplomatic note verbale in December 2024 and again after the death sentence was handed down in November 2025.
The foreign minister also raised the issue at a bilateral meeting last April, a foreign ministry official said, adding that India had not responded to Bangladesh’s extradition requests.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Dhaka had received no communication from India about the reported conditions.
“We are not aware whether the Indian side made any such request at the political level. Diplomats were also not involved in discussions when she left Bangladesh in 2024,” the official added.
At a biweekly media briefing in New Delhi Friday (Nov 13), Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, was asked about Hasina’s extradition and the two reported conditions.
“What I refer to as a legal matter is the extradition part. And the extradition will be dealt with accordingly. On the other part of your question, I have no comments to offer,” he said.
Diplomatic sources in New Delhi said Hasina’s continued presence in India had become an obstacle to the Indian government’s “neighbourhood first” policy, with the delay in improving ties also drawing domestic criticism.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a diplomat said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had yet to visit India, nearly a year into his tenure, and was instead moving closer to Türkiye, China and Pakistan, causing discomfort in New Delhi.
The diplomat said a visit would depend on the creation of a conducive environment and the fulfilment of certain preconditions.
“Hasina is not the Dalai Lama. She sought shelter in India when she was in distress, and India provided it. But India cannot afford to keep her indefinitely. She has been advised to use back channels to negotiate and secure the best possible deal for her return,” the diplomat said.
On the postponement of the Bangladesh-India consular dialogue, Jaiswal said India wanted to maintain a positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh.
He cited meetings under existing bilateral mechanisms covering trade, railways, water resources, and border management.
The next round of the Bangladesh-India consular dialogue, which will also discuss revised travel arrangements, will take place on a mutually convenient date, he said.
“India remains ready to discuss all bilateral issues with Bangladesh through these existing mechanisms, including at the technical level,” Jaiswal added. - The Daily Star/ANN
