‘Sheltering Sheikh Hasina was a compulsion’:Indian High Commissioner says process to return ex-Bangladesh PM underway

India was compelled to provide shelter to former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said on Saturday at the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026 event. A student asked Trivedi when Sheikh Hasina, who killed our people, would be brought back to our country? In response, Trivedi said the legal process is ongoing and he could not provide a timeframe for when Hasina would be sent to Bangladesh. After leaving power, she came to India on 5 August, 2024. Hasina has been living in India for the past two years. Trivedi also clarified the decision to allow Hasina to come to India. He said that when Hasina left Dhaka on 5 August 2024, she was still the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the situation there was changing rapidly. Trivedi said that at the time, India had no option but to allow Hasina to land in Delhi. If India had not permitted her to land, the situation could have been different. Hasina arrived in India on a Bangladesh Air Force plane Trivedi also clarified that Hasina was not brought to India by the Indian Air Force or the Indian Army. On August 5, she was first evacuated from near her residence by a Bangladesh military helicopter and then arrived in India by a Bangladesh Air Force plane. India and Bangladesh have an extradition treaty India and Bangladesh signed an extradition treaty in 2013. It contains provisions allowing either country to refuse to surrender a person to the other under certain circumstances, including cases involving offences of a political nature. Hasina faces serious charges in Bangladesh linked to the violence and deaths during the 2024 protests. Bangladesh’s current government wants to bring her back and take legal action against her. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina and her then Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in November 2025. On 15 September, some of Hasina’s former aides were also sentenced. According to an investigation by the United Nations Human Rights Office, around 1,400 people were killed during the protests in July and August 2024. Hasina said, “I will return in December” Hasina said on 5 August that she would return to Bangladesh by December. In an interview with CNN-News18, she said she was ready to face legal proceedings, but wanted security, access to a lawyer, the right to defend herself, an independent judiciary and a fair trial. She denied any backchannel talks with the BNP and said India was still her friend. Rahman’s government has repeatedly sought extradition Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party government came to power following the February 12 elections. Hasina’s Awami League was barred from participating in the polls. Since taking office, the new government has repeatedly demanded Hasina’s extradition. Hasina’s extradition remains a major source of tension in India-Bangladesh relations and has also affected Tarique Rahman’s engagement with India. India invited Tarique Rahman to attend last month’s BRICS summit, while he had also received a separate invitation in February. However, he has not visited India even once since becoming Prime Minister. India and Bangladesh have an extradition treaty India and Bangladesh signed an extradition treaty in 2013. The agreement allows either country to refuse an extradition request in certain circumstances, including cases involving offences considered to be political in nature. Hasina faces serious charges linked to the violence and deaths during Bangladesh’s 2024 uprising. The current Bangladeshi government wants her returned to the country to face legal proceedings. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina and her former Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, to death in November 2025. On September 15, 2026, several former associates of Hasina’s government were also sentenced. According to an investigation by the United Nations Human Rights Office, around 1,400 people were killed during the July-August 2024 movement. ​