Dhaka/New Delhi: Bangladesh’s interim government has issued a fresh formal request to India for the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, days after she was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal over the deadly crackdown on last year’s student protests. Hasina, 78, has been living in India since August 2024, after the student-led “July Uprising” toppled her government.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain confirmed on Sunday that Dhaka had sent a new diplomatic note to New Delhi seeking her return. The latest note verbale, dispatched via the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, was sent shortly after National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman returned from a regional security meeting in the Indian capital, officials quoted by local media said.
This is reported to be Bangladesh’s third formal extradition request since Hasina fled. A previous note was sent in December 2024, followed by another after the tribunal completed her trial. Dhaka has also sought the extradition of former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who was handed the death penalty in the same case and is believed to be in India, while former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who testified for the prosecution, received a five-year sentence.
Following the tribunal’s verdict, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry publicly reminded India that the bilateral extradition treaty obliges both sides to return convicted individuals. The ministry cautioned that offering refuge to those found guilty of crimes against humanity would amount to “a grave act of unfriendly conduct” and a “travesty of justice”.
India has said it has “noted” the tribunal’s decision and reiterated its commitment to supporting peace, democracy and stability in Bangladesh, but has not directly commented on the latest, or earlier, extradition requests. Security analysts in Dhaka argue that, under international practice and the terms of the treaty, India is expected to hand over convicted persons, and maintain that Hasina’s in absentia trial complied with international legal standards.
Bangladesh has remained volatile since Hasina’s ouster. UN reporting has estimated that around 1,400 people were killed during the July–August 2024 crackdown, figures that formed the core of the charges against her. The upheaval ultimately paved the way for Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to assume leadership of the interim administration.
Ties between Dhaka and New Delhi, once notably warm during Hasina’s tenure, have been strained since her fall from power. However, the recent visit of Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser to India has introduced a tentative thaw, with reports that he invited his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, to visit Dhaka for further talks.