Dhaka/New Delhi: Bangladesh’s interim government has formally requested the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India. A diplomatic note has been sent to the Indian government, seeking Hasina’s return to Dhaka for judicial proceedings.
Foreign adviser Touhid Hossain confirmed the request, stating, “We sent a note verbal (diplomatic message) to the Indian government, asking for her return to face the judicial process in Bangladesh,” as reported by The Daily Star.
The diplomatic tension between India and Bangladesh escalated after the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, assumed power in August. This followed Hasina’s abrupt resignation amid widespread protests against her administration, particularly over a controversial job quota that sparked major unrest.
Hasina, who had served as the longest-running prime minister of Bangladesh, fled to India after the protests turned violent. She had returned to power in January following a general election.
In a virtual speech earlier this month in New York, Hasina claimed there were plans to assassinate her and her sister Sheikh Rehana, similar to the 1975 assassination of their father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She also recounted an attack on her official residence in Dhaka on August 5, which led to her departure for India. “The armed protestors were directed towards Ganabhaban. If the security guards had opened fire, many lives would have been lost,” she stated, recalling the tense moments before her departure.
Hasina also criticized the current government, accusing Yunus and his supporters of orchestrating a “genocide,” linking them to the violence that had unfolded.
