Bangladesh presses India on ousted leader Sheikh Hasina’s extradition

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s government said on Sunday it had asked India to extradite ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced earlier this week to be hanged over a deadly crackdown against a student-led uprising.

Hasina, 78, has been in hiding in India since her autocratic rule was overthrown in August 2024. As prime minister, she had had New Delhi’s backing.

Touhid Hossain, who holds the foreign affairs portfolio in Bangladesh’s interim administration, told reporters that on Friday “we sent a letter seeking the extradition of Sheikh Hasina.”

He did not elaborate on the contents of the letter, which according to Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo was the third official extradition request since Hasina fled.

Bangladesh’s ousted PM Hasina sentenced to death for students crackdown

Following the court ruling on Monday, convicting Hasina of crimes against humanity and sentencing her to death, the foreign ministry in Dhaka said in a statement that Delhi had an “obligatory responsibility” under a bilateral treaty to facilitate the former leader’s return.

India’s foreign ministry said in response it had “noted” the verdict, without directly commenting on the extradition request.

It did not immediately respond to the latest letter from Dhaka.

Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since the end of Hasina’s rule, and violence has marred campaigning for elections expected in February 2026.

The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina tried to cling to power, deaths that were central to her trial.

India’s past support for Hasina has frayed relations between the two neighbours since her overthrow.

But tensions appear to have eased slightly when Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman visited India this week for a regional security summit and met with his counterpart Ajit Doval.

Media reports in Bangladesh said Rahman has invited Doval for a visit.