New Delhi: Hours after a special tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death, India on Monday said it noted the verdict and that it will engage constructively with all stakeholders, considering peace, democracy and stability in the neighbouring country, PTI reported.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India remains committed to the best interests of the people.
Hasina was found guilty of crimes against humanity by the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) and sentenced to death.
The Awami League leader has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests.
"India has noted the verdict announced by the 'International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh' concerning former prime minister Sheikh Hasina," the MEA said.
"As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country," it said.
"We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end," the MEA added.
Hasina’s sentence comes after months of proceedings focused on her government’s response to a student-driven protest movement last year.
Immediately after the judgment, Hasina stated that she had not been given a fair chance to defend herself during the trial.
The tribunal found her responsible for ordering a violent crackdown on the protests. Former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex–police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were also convicted.
Al-Mamun, the only one of the three present in court, had previously confessed in July and cooperated with the prosecution as a state witness.