India seeks security and fair trial guarantees for Sheikh Hasina's return: report

India is reportedly seeking guarantees on Sheikh Hasina's security and a fair trial before facilitating the former Bangladesh prime minister's return from exile in December, BBC Bangla reported, citing unnamed Indian government and military sources.

According to the report published on Thursday, New Delhi has been working for several months to create a viable path for Hasina's return.

India wants Bangladesh's military to take responsibility for bringing her back and Dhaka to guarantee her an opportunity to appeal against her death sentence and face a fresh trial.

The report said Bangladesh could send a military aircraft to New Delhi or arrange for its army to receive Hasina at a designated point along the land border.

India also wants the legal proceedings to take place under international scrutiny. “We can never knowingly hand her over to be hanged. Rather, we would want to ensure that she gets an opportunity for a fresh and fair trial,” BBC Bangla quoted an unnamed Indian Ministry of External Affairs official as saying.

India's MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal declined to comment on the report on Friday. Asked whether New Delhi had sought assurances from Dhaka, he said, “I have nothing to say on that”.

Hasina, who fled Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, after an uprising against her government, has announced plans to return in December. On November 9, she applied for a fresh passport and travel documents, marking her first official contact with the Bangladeshi government since going into exile.

Bangladesh has repeatedly sought her extradition after a court sentenced her to death over the 2024 crackdown. However, India has so far not acted on the requests.

BBC Bangla also reported that Indian officials believe Hasina's return in December remains unlikely, as Dhaka may be reluctant to facilitate it. Neither the Indian nor the Bangladeshi government has officially confirmed the reported discussions.